beef up
B2 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To make something bigger, stronger, or better.
Literal meaning: To make something as substantial and strong as beef.
Meanings
1 B2
idiomatic
informal
To strengthen or increase the size, power, or effectiveness of something.
"The government announced plans to beef up border security following the incidents."
"We need to beef up our intelligence capabilities."
— Widely used in US political reporting; frequent phrasing in congressional debates on defense spending.
Grammar: separable
2 B2
idiomatic
informal
To make the body more muscular through exercise and diet.
"He spent the summer beefing up for the football season."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Very common in journalism and everyday English. Can be applied to physical things (security, forces) and abstract things (a report, an argument, a CV). Widely used in American and British English.
Commonly used with
security forces team defences budget argument
Forms
Base
beef up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
beefs up
he/she/it
Past simple
beefed up
yesterday
Past participle
beefed up
have + pp
-ing form
beefing up
continuous
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