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. beef up

   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

/ biːf /

noun

1. the flesh of various bovine animals, esp the cow, when killed for eating

2. an adult ox, bull, cow, etc, reared for its meat

3. informal,  human flesh, esp when muscular

4. a complaint

verb

1. slang,  (intr) to complain, esp repeatedly

   he was beefing about his tax

2. informal,  to strengthen; reinforce

Other Word Forms

• beefless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of beef¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; 1885–90 beef for def. 5; Middle English, from Anglo-French beof, Old French boef, from Latin bov- (stem of bōs ) “ox, cow”; akin to cow ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of beef¹

C13: from Old French boef , from Latin bōs ox; see _cow ¹

Idioms and Phrases

• where's the beef

Example Sentences

A federal judge dismissed rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s popular “Not Like Us,” a diss track at the center of a long-running beef between the stars.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

For “Future Boy,” the actor has wisely beefed up his recollections with those of his fellow actors, as well as Robert Zemeckis, the film’s director and co-writer, and others involved with “Back to the Future.”

Read more on Wall Street Journal

And Houlihan had ordered a beef burrito, not pork, meaning that the food truck would have needed to serve the wrong order without her realizing it.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

“They probably shoved him with beef and red wine,” Lauper says, less aggrieved than sympathetic.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Her family is still in the beef business, with the meat generally staying on the West Coast.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• meat