Jump To:

• beef-up
  beef-up

  noun

  an act or instance of strengthening or reinforcing.
• beef up
  beef up

  Strengthen, reinforce, as in Mary wants us to beef up her part in the play. This phrase relies on an older slang sense of beef as “muscles” or “power.” [Colloquial; late 1800s]

beef-up

American  

[beef-uhp] / ˈbifˌʌp /

noun

1. an act or instance of strengthening or reinforcing.

---

beef up Idioms  

1. Strengthen, reinforce, as in Mary wants us to beef up her part in the play. This phrase relies on an older slang sense of beef as “muscles” or “power.” [Colloquial; late 1800s]

---

Etymology

Origin of beef-up

Noun use of verb phrase beef up

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

beef-up beef up

RBS may offload an additional 25% stake in Citizens by March 2015 in order to beef-up its balance sheet.

From Forbes ● Sep. 25, 2014

At London's Heathrow Airport, travelers report that the beef-up can add 20 minutes to the already lengthy process of clearing security, while at New York City's Kennedy International Airport, extra police are on duty.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week Menzies carried the beef-up further, announced the reinstatement of the draft, which had been dropped in 1959.

From Time Magazine Archive

Microsoft bought game production companies including Activision Blizzard to beef up the offerings on Game Pass, its Netflix-style subscription service.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

In 2014, he was rebuffed in his $80-billion bid to beef up his 21st Century Fox by buying HBO, CNN and other Time Warner assets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

The group is likely to beef up its production quotas by "188,000 barrels a day", said Jorge Leon, analyst at Rystad Energy, similar to recent increases.

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

Parker, Edge, Clemson — The Patriots have made no secret about their desire to beef up their rush off the edges.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

Athletes trying to beef up their college resumes.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy