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View synonyms for

beef

[ beef ]

noun

plural beeves beefs
  1. the flesh of a cow, steer, or bull raised and killed for its meat.
  2. an adult cow, steer, or bull raised for its meat.
  3. Informal.
    1. brawn; muscular strength.
    2. strength; power.
    3. weight, as of a person.
    4. human flesh.
  4. Slang.
    1. a complaint.
    2. an argument or dispute.


verb (used without object)

  1. Slang. to complain; grumble.

verb phrase

    1. to add strength, numbers, force, etc., to; strengthen:

      During the riots, the nighttime patrol force was beefed up with volunteers.

    2. to increase or add to:

      to beef up our fringe benefits.

beef

/ ː /

noun

  1. the flesh of various bovine animals, esp the cow, when killed for eating
  2. 𱹱ː an adult ox, bull, cow, etc, reared for its meat
  3. informal.
    human flesh, esp when muscular
  4. beefs a complaint
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. slang.
    intr to complain, esp repeatedly

    he was beefing about his tax

  2. informal.
    troften foll byup to strengthen; reinforce
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • l adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of beef1

First recorded in 1250–1300; 1885–90 beef fordef 5; Middle English, from Anglo-French beof, Old French boef, from Latin bov- (stem of ō ) “ox, cow”; akin to cow 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of beef1

C13: from Old French boef , from Latin ō ox; see cow 1
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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with beef , also see where's the beef .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

They slow-cook the beef in Indonesian spices for four hours before layering it with sauerkraut, mayo, sweet mustard, and pickles on sourdough.

From

Many American farmers use growth hormones as a standard part of their beef production, something that was banned in the UK and the European Union in the 1980s.

From

In hindsight, he said he wished he had prepared his Kindle e-reader with more reading material - and packed a lot more beef jerky.

From

Star Walker’s grass-fed organic beef brisket is the kind of ingredient that turns a slow Saturday into a culinary adventure.

From

He said he believed the incoming changes in online safety laws mean online platforms would beef up their age verification processes.

From

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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