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• 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.

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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]

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Etymology

Origin of beef-up

Noun use of verb phrase beef up

Example Sentences

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

The executive order attempts to beef up some actions already scheduled to take place — namely, the Saver’s Match coming in 2027 courtesy of the Secure 2.0 Act legislation.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

A longtime security hawk, she has big plans to beef up Japan’s armed forces with new weapons and capabilities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

A full-time appointment, along with a substantive fast-bowling coach, would beef up McCullum's backroom.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

“This camp is a wonderful opportunity for you to understand the natural world, learn important survival skills, and beef up your college applications.”

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth