beef

1 of 2

noun

ˈbēf

plural beefs ˈbēfs

or beeves ˈbēvz

Synonyms of beef next

: the flesh of an adult domestic bovine (such as a steer or cow) used as food

: an ox, cow, or bull in a full-grown or nearly full-grown state

especially : a steer or cow fattened for food

quality Texas beeves

a herd of good beef

: a dressed carcass of a beef animal

: muscular flesh : brawn

plural beefs : complaint

Illustration of beef

A wholesale cuts
1 shank
2 round with rump and shank cut off
3 rump
4 sirloin
5 short loin
6 flank
7 rib
8 chuck
9 plate
10 brisket
11 shank
B retail cuts
a heel pot roast
b round steak
c rump roast
d sirloin steak
e pinbone steak
f short ribs
g porterhouse
h T-bone
i club steak
j flank steak
k rib roast
l blade rib roast
m plate
n brisket
o crosscut shank
p arm pot roast
q boneless neck
r blade roast

beef

2 of 2

verb

beefed; beefing; beefs

transitive verb

: to increase or add substance, strength, or power to

—usually used with up

money to beef up its staff of professional economists—

John Fischer

intransitive verb

: complain

always beefing about something

Examples of beef in a Sentence

Noun I'm not eating as much beef as I used to. My real beef is with the organization's president, not the group itself. Verb She's always beefing about something. he tends to stand around and beef for hours about any slight, real or imagined

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Noun

The restaurant also features a Wagyu counter, a 10-seat chef counter that will offer a tasting menu of the premium beef, sourced from different parts of the world. —

Kristen Tauer, WWD, 22 Nov. 2024 The Minnesota Department of Agriculture alerted the FSIS about several illnesses last week, and collected a sample of the ground beef a week later that tested positive for E.coli. —

Ayana Archie, NPR, 22 Nov. 2024

Verb

Tekashi has beefed with Casanova, Trippie Redd, Pi’erre Bourne, The Game, YG, J Prince Jr. and others. —

Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 29 Oct. 2024 Dell offers upgrades that can beef it up substantially. —

Eric Ravenscraft, WIRED, 1 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for beef

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French beof, bef ox, beef, from Latin bov-, bos head of cattle — more at cow

Verb

verbal derivative of beef entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1860, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler

The first known use of beef was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Beef.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beef. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

beef

1 of 2 noun

ˈbēf

plural beefs ˈbēfs

or beeves ˈbēvz

: the flesh of a steer, cow, or bull

: a steer, cow, or bull especially when fattened for food

plural beefs : complaint sense 1

beeflike

-ˌlīk

adjective

beef

2 of 2 verb

: to add weight, strength, or power to

—usually used with up

beef up the staff

: complain sense 1

Medical Definition

beef

noun

ˈbēf

plural beefs ˈbēfs

or beeves ˈbēvz

: the flesh of an adult domestic bovine (as a steer or cow) used as food

Last Updated: 28 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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beef

noun

Illustration of beef

verb

Synonyms

Examples of beef in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near beef

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition