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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

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

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

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

From Time Magazine Archive

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.