Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense beefs, present participle beefing, past tense, past participle beefed
1. uncountable noun
Beef is the meat of a cow, bull, or ox.
...roast beef.
...beef stew.
...exports of beef and powdered milk.
2. See also corned beef
3. verb [no passive]
If someone beefsabout something, they keep complaining about it.
[informal, disapproval]
Instead of beefing about what Mrs Martin has not done, her critics might take a lookat what she is trying to do.
Beef is also a noun.
[informal]
I really don't have a beef with Wayne.
Phrasal verbs:
See beef up
More Synonyms of beef
beef in British English
(biːf)
noun
1.
the flesh of various bovine animals, esp the cow, when killed for eating
2. Word forms: pluralbeeves (biːvz)
an adult ox, bull, cow, etc, reared for its meat
3. informal
human flesh, esp when muscular
4. Word forms: pluralbeefs
a complaint
verb
5. (intransitive) slang
to complain, esp repeatedly
he was beefing about his tax
6. (transitive; often foll byup) informal
to strengthen; reinforce
Word origin
C13: from Old French boef, from Latin bōs ox; see cow1
beef in American English
(bif)
nounWord forms: pluralbeeves or beefs
1.
a full-grown ox, cow, bull, or steer, esp. one bred and fattened for meat
2.
meat from such an animal; specif., a whole dressed carcass
3.
such animals collectively
4. US, Informal
a.
human flesh or muscle
b.
strength; brawn
5. US, Slang
a complaint
verb intransitive US
6. Slang
to complain or protest
Idioms:
beef up
Word origin
ME < OFr boef < L bos (gen. bovis), ox (apparently an Oscan-Umbrian cognate form, replacing L *vos) < IE *gwōus < base *gwou-: see cow1
beef in Hospitality
(bif)
noun
(Hospitality (hotel): Food and drink, meat)
Beef is the meat of a cow, bull, or ox.
Our beef all comes from locally bred cows.
The burgers are made with 100 percent beef.
Cut the beef into slices and serve it with the sauce.
Examples of 'beef' in a sentence
beef
As well as chicken carcasses, the broth can be made from fish and beef bones.
The Sun (2016)
Participants are also beefing up ranger and police forces with extra equipment, funding and numbers to target poaching.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It might be nice to sit down and have a glass of wine with this amazing roast beef on a Sunday.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
From 2017 it will sell only British lamb and bacon following an earlier chicken and beef pledge.
The Sun (2016)
The beef was about the terms writers were signing up to.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Trim the beef fillet of any sinew.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
So that the rest of the world in its growing affluence can eat beef.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Extra helpings of beef stew and mash mean savings on the gas bill.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We both had roast beef from the trolley.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The only food choice was chicken curry or beef curry.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Freeze the beef for about an hour until stiff.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Did you see the price of fillet of beef last week?
The Sun (2013)
One eats endless beef and is so bored one could scream.
Eric Newby A BOOK OF LANDS AND PEOPLES (2003)
It is also beefing up its management.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
But was it really anything to beef about?
The Sun (2010)
It has also beefed up its website security.
The Sun (2014)
The beef stew was little better.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the beef for 50 minutes for rare.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
His specialities include fillet of beef with aubergine, red pepper and plum tomatoes.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
One eats endless beef and is so bored one could scream You envy us?
Eric Newby A BOOK OF LANDS AND PEOPLES (2003)
That night, we feast on beef stew beneath two oil lamps.
The Sun (2014)
It's about as foreign as roast beef.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In other languages
beef
British English: beef /biːf/ NOUN
Beef is the meat of a cow, bull, or ox.
...roast beef.
American English: beef
Arabic: لـَحْم البَقَر
Brazilian Portuguese: carne bovina
Chinese: 牛肉
Croatian: govedina
Czech: hovězí
Danish: oksekød
Dutch: rundvlees
European Spanish: carne de vaca
Finnish: naudanliha
French: bœuf
German: Rindfleisch
Greek: μοσχάρι
Italian: manzo
Japanese: 牛肉
Korean: 쇠고기
Norwegian: oksekjøtt
Polish: wołowina
European Portuguese: carne de bovino
Romanian: carne de vacă
Russian: говядина
Latin American Spanish: carne de vaca
Swedish: oxkött
Thai: เนื้อวัว
Turkish: sığır eti
Ukrainian: яловичина
Vietnamese: thịt bò
All related terms of 'beef'
beef up
If you beef up something, you increase, strengthen , or improve it.
baby beef
meat from a prime heifer or steer fattened for butchering when one to two years old
beef road
a road used for transporting cattle
beef tea
a drink made by boiling pieces of lean beef : often given to invalids to stimulate the appetite
Kobe beef
a grade of beef from cattle raised in Kobe , Japan , which is extremely tender and full-flavoured as a result of the cattle being massaged with sake and fed a special diet including large quantities of beer
salt beef
beef that has been preserved in salt
beef cattle
the cattle raised for meat
beef olive
a thin slice of beef rolled round sausage meat
beef tomato
a very large fleshy variety of tomato
bully beef
tinned corned beef
corned beef
Corned beef is beef which has been cooked and preserved in salt water.
ground beef
beef that has been ground for making hamburgers and other dishes
roast beef
beef that has been cooked in the oven at a high heat
beef bouillon
a broth made either by straining water in which bits of lean beef have been cooked or by dissolving beef extract in hot water
beef extract
a soluble paste of beef or beef blood extracts
beef sausage
a sausage made of beef rather than pork
chipped beef
dried or smoked beef sliced into shavings , often served in a cream sauce
beef stroganoff
a dish of thin strips of beef cooked with onions , mushrooms , and seasonings , served in a sour-cream sauce
beef Wellington
a lightly roasted beef fillet covered with p â t é de foie gras, wrapped in pastry , and then baked
baron of beef
a cut of beef consisting of a double sirloin joined at the backbone
beef bourguignon
→ boeuf bourguignon
round of beef
→ round 1 (sense 17 )
corned beef hash
a dish consisting of corned beef chopped and mixed together with mashed potatoes and various other ingredients , then fried
beefsteak
Beefsteak is → steak .
bully
A bully is someone who often hurts or frightens other people.
beefburger
A beefburger is the same as a → hamburger .
Chinese translation of 'beef'
beef
(biːf)
n(u)
牛肉 (niúròu)
roast beef烤牛肉 (kǎo niúròu)
All related terms of 'beef'
beef up
( inf : security etc ) 加强(強) jiāqiáng
corned beef
腌(醃)牛肉 yānniúròu
prime beef
上等牛肉 shàngděng niúròu
roast beef
烤牛肉 kǎo niúròu
a side of beef
牛的肋肉 niú de lèiròu
(noun)
Definition
a complaint
I really don't have a beef with Wayne.
Synonyms
complaint
I don't have any complaints about the way I've been treated.
dispute
grievance
They felt they had a legitimate grievance.
problem
grumble
My grumble is with the structure and organization of the material.
criticism
objection
This objection has obviously been dropped.
dissatisfaction
annoyance
grouse
There have been grouses about the economy, interest rates and house prices.
gripe (informal)
My only gripe is that just one main course and one dessert were available.
protestation
Graham's protestation that he has been unjustly treated
grouch (informal)
One of their biggest grouches is the new system of payment.
remonstrance
(verb)
Definition
to complain
She was beefing about what he had done.
Synonyms
complain
She never complains about her situation.
carp
He has many detractors who carp at his old-fashioned style.
fuss
moan (informal)
I used to moan if I didn't get at least 8 hours' sleep.
bitch (slang)
groan
His parents were beginning to groan about the cost of it all.
grieve
lament
It was traditional to lament deaths with a procession and a banquet.
grumble
`This is very inconvenient,' she grumbled.
whine
He whined about his project throughout the entire meeting.
growl
deplore
They deplored the heavy loss of life in the earthquake.
grouse
`How come they never tell us what's going on?' he groused.
gripe (informal)
She started griping about the prices they were charging.
bemoan
She continually bemoans her lot in life.
whinge (informal)
people who whinge about their alleged misfortunes
bleat
They are always bleating about `unfair' foreign competition.
find fault
bewail
All your songs seem to bewail a dissatisfaction in love.
kick up a fuss (informal)
grouch (informal)
They grouched about how hard-up they were.
bellyache (slang)
kvetch (US, slang)
(noun)
(informal)
Synonyms
flesh
Illness had wasted the flesh from her body.
strength
He threw it forward with all his strength.
muscle
The team showed more muscle than mental application.
physique
brawn
He's got plenty of brains as well as brawn.
sinew
robustness
heftiness
phrasal verb
See beef something up
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bemoan
Definition
to lament
She continually bemoans her lot in life.
Synonyms
lament,
regret,
complain about,
rue (literary),
deplore,
grieve for,
weep for,
bewail,
cry over spilt milk,
express sorrow about,
moan over
in the sense of bewail
Definition
to express great sorrow over
All your songs seem to bewail a dissatisfaction in love.
Synonyms
lament,
regret,
complain about,
moan about,
mourn,
rue (literary),
wail about,
deplore,
bemoan,
repent,
grieve for,
cry over,
weep over,
express sorrow for
in the sense of bleat
Definition
to whine
They are always bleating about `unfair' foreign competition.