1
as in strengthening
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 intensifying
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 beefing (up)
Verb
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In an era of instant answers, strengthening critical thinking means resisting automation.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026 -
While strengthening the midfield is a priority, United want a defensive leader and will be weighing up their options for what’s likely to be a four-man defence now Ruben Amorim has departed.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Competition is also intensifying.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
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But competition is intensifying.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Propose a clear boundary with a sibling (or close friend) to stop resentment from hardening.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Jan. 2026
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Those upgrades involve hardening vulnerable infrastructure, improving outage detection and restoration, and preparing the grid for increasingly extreme weather.—
Chaya Tong,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The one-day workshop brings together Phambassadors for speaker sessions, storytelling workshops and community-building — all in the name of deepening the Philly love.—
Nikki DeMentri,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Born Again is a worthy follow-up to its original series, deepening its themes of corruption and justice with Cox and D'Onofrio continuing to deliver committed performances.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The mainframe cycle is enhancing infrastructure.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The drones can help save time and money while enhancing situational awareness and providing higher-quality data that can be integrated into digital environments, the press release said.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The fire and brimstone nature of both fixtures, played in potentially imposing and intimidating stadiums, carries the risk of heightening the level of a player’s tension, in turn hindering their concentration or ability to follow a plan.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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This morning, the emotional Moon harmonizes with expansive Jupiter, heightening our empathy toward others.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The world’s two most populous countries are stepping up regulation of delivery platforms in a bid to curb damaging competitive practices.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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Now, the president is stepping up immigration enforcement.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
6 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Beefing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beefing%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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