beef

[ beef ]

/ bif /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR beef ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural beeves [beevz] /bivz/ for 2; beefs for 4.

the flesh of a cow, steer, or bull raised and killed for its meat.

an adult cow, steer, or bull raised for its meat.

Informal.

brawn; muscular strength.
strength; power.
weight, as of a person.
human flesh.

Slang.

a complaint.
an argument or dispute.

verb (used without object)

Slang. to complain; grumble.

Verb Phrases

beef up,

to add strength, numbers, force, etc., to; strengthen: During the riots, the nighttime patrol force was beefed up with volunteers.
to increase or add to: to beef up our fringe benefits.

Words nearby beef

beecher, beecher stowe, beechnut, beechwood, beedi, beef, beef bouillon, beef bourguignon, beef cattle, beef extract, beef road

Origin of beef

1250–1300; 1885–90 for def 5; Middle English < Anglo-French beof, Old French boef < Latin bov- (stem of bōs) ox, cow; akin to cow¹

OTHER WORDS FROM beef

beef·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for beef

Champagne, which is also acidic, offers a nice complement to anything from tuna tartare to beef bourguignon.
Champagne: You’re Drinking It All Wrong|Kayleigh Kulp|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The freezer is filled with meat, sides of beef and large pieces of lamb.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The beef began three days ago, when Snoop posted an unflattering Iggy meme to his Instagram.
Who Dat, Who Dat? It’s Snoop Dogg Saying Misogynistic Things to I-G-G-Y|Amy Zimmerman|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My beef is not with Jolie, whom I congratulate on her work, and admire as human being simply trying to do a little bit of good.
WTF Is Damgelina Doing At The Palace?|Tom Sykes|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This is also a show that decided that in order to get better it needed to beef up its female presence.
It’s OK to Like ‘The Big Bang Theory’|Kevin Fallon|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Between tea and coffee, or beef and mutton there is a relation of a different kind.
Supply and Demand|Hubert D. Henderson
They were short of provisions, and we gave them a barrel of ship-bread, and seventy pounds of beef.
Audubon and his Journals, Volume I (of 2)|Maria R. Audubon
What does it matter when the beef is so tough that you might sole your boots with it?
Punch, or the London Charivari, October 21st 1893|Various
The beef had been quartered and roasted on a spit over a charcoal fire, outside one of the huts.
Francisco Our Little Argentine Cousin|Eva Cannon Brooks
Roast mutton, like roast beef, is better served rather underdone, but should be a little more done than beef.
Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks|Pierre Blot

British Dictionary definitions for beef

beef

/ (biːf) /

noun

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

plural beeves (biːvz) an adult ox, bull, cow, etc, reared for its meat

informal human flesh, esp when muscular

plural beefs a complaint

verb

(intr) slang to complain, esp repeatedlyhe was beefing about his tax

(tr often foll by up) informal to strengthen; reinforce

Word Origin for beef

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

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

Idioms and Phrases with beef

beef

In addition to the idiom beginning with beef

beef up

also see:

where's the beef

beef

noun, plural beeves [beevz] /bivz/ for 2; beefs for 4.

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

Words related to beef

Words nearby beef

Origin of beef

OTHER WORDS FROM beef

Examples from the Web for beef

British Dictionary definitions for beef

noun

verb

Word Origin for beef

Idioms and Phrases with beef