[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/beef.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / beef

[← B](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/B/)

# beef

«beef» in Mova's school dictionary: **The meat from a cow, bull or ox** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 3 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (beef, uncountable; a beef, beefs — complaint); verb (beef up, beefs, beefed)

### meaning for a pupil

1) The meat from a cow, bull or ox. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#m1)

2) (slang) A complaint or a quarrel with someone (What's your beef? He has beef with me). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#m2)

3) (informal) Muscle or strength. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#m3)

4) To beef up: to make something stronger or bigger. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#m4)

5) (informal) To beef: to complain. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#m5)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday life: beef burgers, roast beef, minced beef. In science and food lessons: beef comes from cattle and gives protein. In slang, «beef» is an argument between people. Phrases: beef up, what's your beef?, roast beef.

### examples

- We had roast beef for Sunday lunch. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#x1)
- Beef comes from cows. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#x2)
- The burger is made of minced beef. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#x3)
- What's your beef with me? (slang) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#x4)
- The two rappers have had beef for ages. (slang) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#x5)
- The team beefed up its defence. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#x6)
- Stop beefing about the homework! (informal) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#x7)
- I hate cow-beef; it is not tender enough for me. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/#x8)

### note

Meat sense is uncountable: some beef. Pork is from pigs, lamb from sheep, beef from cattle. The slang plural for complaints is «beefs». A «beefy» person is big and strong.

### In the corpora

- [and threescore and twelve thousand beeves,](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/NUM.1127/)
- [And the beeves were thirty and six thousand, of which the LORD'S tribute was threescore and twelve.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/NUM.1132/)
- [and thirty and six thousand beeves,](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/NUM.1138/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «beef» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beef/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.