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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The Sherman Phoenix board of directors has committed to strengthening leadership and accountability.—
La Risa R. Lynch,
jsonline.com,
25 Oct. 2025 -
The Office of Special Education is tasked with supporting and monitoring state compliance and strengthening special education services covered under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).—
K. Ward Cummings,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Their approach places them within immediate operational range for amphibious or precision strike missions, intensifying pressure on Caracas as regional tensions climb.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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But, increasingly, events that should appall and unite America against violence instead fuel an intensifying partisanship.—
John Archibald,
New Yorker,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The finale opens in the stillness that follows, grief hardening into vengeance.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
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The ad, purchased by the government of Ontario and broadcast on major US television networks, aired clips of the address, delivered from Camp David, where Reagan was soon to meet the prime minister of Japan at a time when American attitudes toward Japan were hardening.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Amazon is the latest big company to announce layoffs, deepening concerns ahead of the Fed’s meeting this week that the labor market is weakening.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
28 Oct. 2025
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Their audiences vary dramatically, but there is unquestionably a gap deepening in real time.—
David Zucker,
Deadline,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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These vision-enhancing tools were only available at great cost, and thus only the upper echelon of society’s members was able to access them.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
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Taiwan, too, should keep enhancing its civil and military defenses while restraining its assertions of sovereignty in cross-strait affairs.—
STEPHEN WERTHEIM,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Sticky candies, on the other hand—like Twizzlers and Starbursts—stay on the teeth longer, heightening the risk of cavities.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
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Also, by overweighting the same securities through passive vehicles, investors’ holdings look like a sea of sameness, heightening systematic risk and limiting diversification.—
Mike Terwilliger,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Jose goes above and beyond to support others, whether by mentoring younger students, volunteering in school activities, or stepping up to help classmates in need.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Before stepping up to assistant chief, Hennie was the captain of the Central Business Section, which includes Downtown and Mount Adams.—
Cameron Knight,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
20 Oct. 2025
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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 3 Nov. 2025.
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