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beef cattle

American  

noun

(used with a plural verb)
  1. cattle, as Hereford, raised for their edible meat.


Etymology

Origin of beef cattle

An Americanism dating back to 1750–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The beef industry is already under pressure: Earlier this year, the U.S. beef cattle herd reached a 75-year low.

From Barron's Jun. 4, 2026

That’s bad news for his company, Clovergrass Produce, and its crop of soybeans, cucumbers, peanuts and corn plus his herd of beef cattle.

From Salon May 15, 2026

The couple would have two daughters and a son and settled on a 150-acre-plus farm in Solway, an unincorporated suburb of Knoxville, where they raised beef cattle as a hobby.

From The Wall Street Journal May 1, 2026

The cows grow more slowly - typically taking three years to reach a full weight before they are slaughtered, compared with just 15 months for conventional beef cattle.

From BBC May 29, 2025

Much of that goes to feeding America’s 100 million beef cattle.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

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