1
as in to strengthen
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force
beefed up the walls with iron bars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to intensify
to make markedly greater in measure or degree
will beef up security for the next few days while the president is in town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beef (up)
Verb
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Denmark will also tighten controls on foreigners without legal residence, introduce a new anklet monitor for criminal foreigners, reopen an embassy in Syria and strengthen cooperation with authorities in Afghanistan.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026 -
Snow is expected to pile up in parts of the southern Appalachians, the Carolinas and southern Virginia late Friday night into Saturday as the storm rapidly strengthens offshore.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Tensions between anti-ICE demonstrators and federal officers have intensified in recent weeks in cities across the country, particularly after the shooting deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in separate incidents last month in Minneapolis.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
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Other concerns are that power-hungry data centers fed by natural gas generators can hurt air quality, consume water and intensify climate damage.—
Conor Harrison,
The Conversation,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Thermal and pressure bonding of a capping layer The research team showed that thermal and pressure bonding of a capping layer to a perovskite surface suppresses defect initiation from iodide loss and enhances long-term stability.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
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The mainframe cycle is enhancing infrastructure.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Scott agreed that their use could, in fact, heighten risk of injury — which is exactly what happened with Bogle last season at Crewe.—
Tom Burrows,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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The significance of last weekend’s victory is heightened when considering what unfolded elsewhere in London earlier that day.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In 2013, Skakel walked out of prison as a free man and later saw his conviction vacated in a move that further deepened the mystery of who Moxley’s true killer is.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Gro-Low sumac performs best in full sun and tolerates partial shade, but will become less vigorous as the shade deepens.—
Tim Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Beef (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beef%20%28up%29. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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