What does "beef" mean?
The meat from cattle or other bovines; especially, that from adults.
Beef
/bif/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The meat from cattle or other bovines; especially, that from adults.
- Grammar: beef is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: air a grievance, altercation, amperage, arm.
- Useful contrasts: acquiescence, agreement, approval.
- Usage evidence: It will be four years before the definite result of beef liberalization emerges.
How to use "beef"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "beef" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "beef" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "beef" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "beef" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "beef" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "air a grievance" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "beef", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The meat from cattle or other bovines; especially, that from adults. uncountable
"I love eating beef."
- 2 cattle that are reared for their meat wordnet
- 3 The meat from cattle or other bovines; especially, that from adults.; The edible portions of a cow (including those which are not meat). countable, uncountable
"lean finely textured beef"
- 4 informal terms for objecting wordnet
- 5 The meat from cattle or other bovines; especially, that from adults.; Muscle or musculature; size, strength or potency. broadly, slang, uncountable
"Put some beef into it! We've got to get the car over the bump."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 meat from an adult domestic bovine wordnet
- 7 The meat from cattle or other bovines; especially, that from adults.; Essence, content; the important part of a document or project. figuratively, slang, uncountable
"The beef of his paper was a long rant about government."
- 8 Bovine animals. uncountable
"However, there were millions of head of beef roaming the plains of Texas."
- 9 A bovine (cow or bull) being raised for its meat. Canada, US, countable, uncommon
"Do you want to raise beeves?"
- 10 A grudge; dislike (of something or someone); lack of faith or trust (in something or someone); a reason for a dislike or grudge. (often + with) countable, slang, uncountable
"He's got beef over what you said."
- 11 A criminal charge. countable, slang, uncountable
"I'm in prison for attempting to kill two police officers (a genuine bum beef) and am alleged to be a part of a group of mad bombers."
- 12 Fibrous calcite or limestone, especially when occurring in a jagged layer between shales in Dorset. countable, uncountable
"Clays, shales, sands, red and green marls, and alum shale, with occasional layers of "beef" (fibrous carbonate of lime) […] Chief "Beef" Beds, Dark (alum) shales with "beef" and selenite, beds of limestone, and layers of perished shells. Cyrena and Cyrides. Corbula Beds. Layers of shelly limestone, shale, alum shale, and marl, with "beef" and selenite."
Verb
- 1 To complain. intransitive, slang
"“Don't you like the Red Room?” “The Red Room!” I gathered from his manner that he had not come to beef about his sleeping accommodation."
- 2 complain wordnet
- 3 To add weight or strength to. slang, transitive
"First off, the axle housing was beefed by welding areas where extreme loading is evident (black marked areas)."
- 4 To fart; break wind. intransitive, slang
"Ugh, who just beefed in here?"
- 5 To cry. Yorkshire, intransitive
"David was beefing last night after Ruth told him off."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To fail or mess up. slang, transitive
"I beefed my presentation hard yesterday."
- 7 To feud or hold a grudge against. Multicultural-London-English, intransitive, slang
"Those two are beefing right now — best you stay out of it."
- 8 To sing or speak loudly; to cry out. Australia, intransitive, slang
Adjective
- 1 Being a bovine animal that is being raised for its meat. not-comparable
"We bought three beef calves this morning."
- 2 Producing or known for raising lots of beef. not-comparable
"beef farms"
- 3 Consisting of or containing beef as an ingredient. not-comparable
"beef stew"
- 4 Beefy; powerful; robust. not-comparable, slang
"Wow, your audio setup is beef!"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"It will be four years before the definite result of beef liberalization emerges."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "beef"?
Common synonyms include: air a grievance, altercation, amperage, arm, armipotence, augment.
How do you use "beef" in a sentence?
It will be four years before the definite result of beef liberalization emerges.
How do you pronounce "beef"?
Pronounced /bif/.
Etymology
PIE word *gʷṓws From Middle English beef, bef, beof, borrowed from Anglo-Norman beof, Old French buef, boef (“ox”) (modern French bœuf); from Latin bōs (“ox”), from Proto-Italic *gʷōs, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws. Doublet of cow. Beef in the sense of “a grudge, argument” was originally an American slang expression: * attested as a verb “to complain” in 1888: “He'll beef an' kick like a steer an' let on he won't never wear 'em.”— New York World, 13 May; * attested as a noun “complaint, protest, grievance, sim.” in 1899: “He made a Horrible Beef because he couldn't get Loaf Sugar for his Coffee.”—Fables in Slang (1900) by George Ade, page 80. As to the possible origin of this American usage, it has been suggested that it can be traced back to a British expression for “alarm”, first recorded in 1725: "BEEF 'to alarm, as To cry beef upon us; they have discover'd us, and are in Pursuit of us". The term "beef" in this context would be a Cockney rhyming slang of thief. However, the continuous use of a similar expression, including its assumed semantic shift to 'complaint' in the United States from the 1880s onwards, needs further clarification.