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

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

The company has also been working to beef up its AI security offerings and recently announced its intent to acquire data security vendor Symmetry Systems for an undisclosed amount.

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

The menu helped beef up repeat visits at Burger King in January even after the promotion ended, Kobza said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

The Japanese entertainment and electronics company has spent billions of dollars on acquisitions in recent years to beef up its entertainment content.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

In an interview, McKinney said he would beef up training for city workers, including police officers, to help them avoid the mistakes that lead to lawsuits.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

“If you’re worried, we can always ask the police to beef up the patrol around my house. And we have an alarm system since my dad is totally anxious about how quiet it is here.”

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed