Definitions
01meat
A2 · Elementary Uncountable noun Cooking
n. the meat from a cow or bull used for food.
n. the flesh of adult cattle used as food. Uncountable in its general sense.
日本語:牛肉※
“We are having roast beef and potatoes for dinner tonight.”
“The chef insisted on sourcing grass-fed beef from local farms to ensure the highest quality for the steakhouse menu.”
Synonyms
02a complaint or argument
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal · Slang
n. a complaint or a long-running argument with someone.
n. a grievance, complaint, or a state of dispute between parties. Often used with the preposition 'with'.
“I have no beef with him; we just don't talk very much.”
“The two rappers had a public beef that lasted for years before they finally reconciled at a charity event.”
03to complain
C1 · Advanced Informal · Slang
v. to complain about something.
v. to complain or grumble. Intransitive; often followed by 'about'.
“He is always beefing about how much work he has to do.”
“The residents began beefing about the new parking regulations long before the city council had even finalised the vote.”
04to strengthen
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal
v. to make something stronger or better by adding more to it.
v. to add weight, strength, or power to something. Usually appears as the phrasal verb 'beef up'.
“The company needs to beef up its security after the break-in.”
“The government decided to beef up the border patrols in response to the recent increase in illegal smuggling activities.”
Usage
Commonly used in the phrasal form 'beef up' followed by a direct object.
Synonyms
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A2 KeyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.3.0–4.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 2.0–2.524–43TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.225–549
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- A2 · ElementaryOxford
- Updated
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「日本語」「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0