beef-up
noun
an act or instance of strengthening or reinforcing.
beef-up
American
[beef-uhp]
/ ˈbifˌʌp /
noun
beef up
Idioms
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.
See Examples For:
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
Syntagma Square, in the heart of the Greek capital, was closed to traffic, with a heavy police presence to beef up security, AFP photographers saw.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
On the sidelines of the general assembly on Tuesday, Trump signed an agreement with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland to beef up US military presence on the North Atlantic island.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
“They’re going to need to beef up how they talk about safety and preventing some of the issues that are described in some of these tweets,” Martin told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Officials said they were in touch with park officials and would beef up police presence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
Athletes trying to beef up their college resumes.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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.
