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beef Definition

beef (bēf)

noun pl. beeves, 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. ☆ Informal
    1. human flesh or muscle
    2. strength; brawn
  5. ☆ Slang a complaint

Etymology: ME < OFr boef < L bos (gen. bovis), ox (apparently an Oscan-Umbrian cognate form, replacing L *vos) < IE *gwōus < base *gwou-: see cow

intransitive verb

Slang to complain or protest

beef Idioms

beef up

Informal to strengthen by addition, reinforcement, etc.

beef Synonyms

beef

n.

  1. Bovine flesh used as food

    cow's flesh, steer beef, ox meat, red meat, cornfed beef, steak, hamburger, roast beef, pot roast, corned beef, pastrami, jerky, Kobe beef; see also meat.

  2. A grown animal of the genus Bos

    cow, bovine, bull, steer; see cow.

  3. *Human flesh

    flesh, brawn, meat*; see muscle.

  4. *A complaint

    dispute, protestation, gripe*; see objection 2.

beef Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • mince: Heat rating: Medium Cooking instructions 1. Brown 500g lean minced beef in a frying pan.
  • boil: Cut a cold boiled beef into strips, add six radishes, two hard-boiled eggs chopped up, and one small sliced cucumber.

Adjective modifier

  • corned: Oh, also i have found a corned beef which doesn''t contain milk or soya.
  • Scotch: To be able to tell people Scotch beef is back is enough.
  • imported: But much of the continuing imported beef goes into the catering industry at the bottom end - particularly burgers.
  • boneless: Germany had banned all beef except boneless beef from the United Kingdom, and Austria had banned certain products derived from cattle.
  • lean: If Keseberg said that human liver was better than lean beef, most likely a starved body more than a perverted mind was speaking.
  • shredded: Judge two: Chili using shredded beef; could use more tomato.

Modifies a noun

  • cattle: Report on the preferred food requirements for beef cattle on a beef property.
  • burger: Our chef created a beef burger using the ingredients on the box of a branded product.
  • suckler: Cryptosporidium is the second most common pathogen causing calf diarrhea, and slightly more common in beef suckler units than in dairy herds.
  • filet: Indeed, my guest's main course was an immaculate circle of beef filet tournedos set on a bed of mustard grain polenta.
  • herd: Tresco's prime beef herd grazes at the head of the Great Pool, a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
  • stew: She is serving slow-cooked organic beef stew to a queue of tasters.

Noun used with modifier

  • roast: Sandwich choices consist of a roast beef au jus or roasted chicken.
  • angus: I'm a better cup of coffee angus beef chef.
  • suckler: In addition there is a herd of 52 suckler beef cows.
  • hormone-treated: The topic remains controversial especially in terms of international trade of hormone-treated beef.
  • bully: Adult evacuees, mainly the children's parents and teachers, were given one extra tin of bully beef.
  • pedigree: Provisional dates for pedigree beef cattle sales at Borderway begin on March 1 with Limousin bulls for the British Limousin Cattle Society.
beef Quotes

Give but an Englishman his whore and ease, Beef and a sea-coal fire, he's yours forever.

—Otway,Thomas

'Oh, where are you going to, all you Big Steamers, With England's own coal, up and down the salt seas?' 'We are going to fetch you your bread and your butter, Your beef, pork, and mutton, eggs, apples and cheese.'

—Kipling, (Joseph) Rudyard

Oh! The roast beef of England, And old England's roast beef!

—Fielding, Henry