1
as in strengthened
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force
beefed up the walls with iron bars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intensified
to make markedly greater in measure or degree
will beef up security for the next few days while the president is in town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beefed (up)
Verb
-
The storm has strengthened into the equivalent of a Category 4 Hurricane and is expected to hit central Vietnam Thursday night — an area that hasn’t yet recovered from disastrous flash flooding and landslides caused by weeks of record rainfall and successive storms.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025 -
Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch has said several operations already underway in Michoacán, including arresting those involved in organized crime, would be strengthened.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
By 2022, nationalist rhetoric from Yameen and his Progressive Party coalition intensified into a demand for the expulsion of the Indian troops stationed in the country.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Polls show that most Americans believe that lengthy prison terms, which are costly to taxpayers, should be reserved for violent and hardened repeat offenders.—
Kevin Krause,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Renowned for their fun shape yet tooth-cracking texture that hardened with each passing day in the dish, ribbon candy was often a holiday season staple for many households.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The only thing that is new is the obsession with anti-aging and heightened beauty standards.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Runners could chart the best course, a challenge heightened by the fact that the Boston Red Sox were playing at home that night.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
These beta-rich alloys also formed denser and more stable electrode structures, which enhanced the interface between the electrode and the solid electrolyte.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Travelers booking in the first-class car enjoy padded seating at a table and a vintage interior enhanced with Christmas decor.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
When the results came back benign, Reece’s anxiety only deepened.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
When oil prices slid and mismanagement came due, the country staggered into hyperinflation, shortages, and mass migration, culminating in a full‑blown humanitarian crisis that outlived Chávez and deepened under his successor, Nicolás Maduro.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
5 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Beefed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beefed%20%28up%29. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share