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
-
On Wednesday, Raman said her administration would focus on lowering housing costs, protecting renters, reducing homelessness, improving city services, strengthening emergency response systems, supporting small businesses and fighting to retain jobs in the entertainment industry.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
11 June 2026 -
The Putah Fire in Yolo County reached 45% containment Wednesday afternoon as firefighters reported no significant new growth and continued strengthening containment lines as red flag conditions moved in, Cal Fire said in an update Wednesday afternoon.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
And those farmers are horribly disillusioned by this intensifying deflation and depression that spreads after 1873.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
-
The United States has imposed travel bans on more than 100 Nicaraguan officials and relatives, intensifying pressure on President Daniel Ortega and his co-president wife, Rosario Murillo, over a mounting record of human rights abuses.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Enterprises that spent years hardening endpoints, strengthening identity controls and building sophisticated security operations centers are now layering AI capabilities on top of existing environments without adapting the controls needed to govern them securely.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Dark lunar maria are visible sprawling across the moon's surface, where lava once rose to the surface before hardening to form enormous basaltic plains.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Even still, Xi’s visit now, and his talk of deepening ties across trade, science and technology, is a sign that Beijing wants to reassert its position as Pyongyang’s primary partner.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
Robots learn virtually LG is also deepening its push into robotics.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
As America celebrates 250 years, Longwood Gardens continues to evolve by modernizing its grounds, enhancing its displays and honoring du Pont's vision of conservation.—
Madeleine Wright,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
-
No player free from credible suspicions of performance-enhancing-drug use has ever hit more dingers in a single season.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Today's top stories Israel and Iran committed yesterday to stop attacking each other, just hours after exchanging missile fire and heightening tensions across the Middle East.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
9 June 2026
-
Tensions between Iran and Israel have been heightening over Lebanon, said Maziar Motamedi at Al Jazeera.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
The gunman, who had the hood of his sweatshirt cinched over his face, was caught on video stepping up and shooting Herrera in the left side of the head at point-blank range.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
29 May 2026
-
Ownership means people are stepping up to the challenge, taking full responsibility, and feeling empowered to act.—
Jane Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
22 May 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
“Beefing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beefing%20%28up%29. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
