beef up
phrasal verb
beefed up; beefing up; beefs up
informal
: to add weight, strength, or power to (something)
Security around the city will be beefed up during the event.
a politician looking to beef his image up
Examples of beef up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The army has responded by beefing up its deployment around vital facilities in Port Sudan and has closed roads leading to the presidential palace and army command.
—
Reuters, CNN Money, 4 May 2025
Chicago Bears First pick: TE Colston Loveland Chicago beefed up the offensive and defensive lines before the draft, so Ben Johnson got to go find some toys, starting with Loveland, who is going to catch a ton of passes, and then Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III with the 39th pick.
—Josh Kendall, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
The Dallas Cowboys continued beefing up their defense with the selection of Florida linebacker Shemar James with the No. 152 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Apr. 2025
Defending division champion Detroit beefed up both lines of scrimmage with defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and guard Tate Rutledge.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beef up
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Reuters, CNN Money, 4 May 2025
Chicago Bears First pick: TE Colston Loveland Chicago beefed up the offensive and defensive lines before the draft, so Ben Johnson got to go find some toys, starting with Loveland, who is going to catch a ton of passes, and then Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III with the 39th pick.
—Josh Kendall, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
The Dallas Cowboys continued beefing up their defense with the selection of Florida linebacker Shemar James with the No. 152 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Apr. 2025
Defending division champion Detroit beefed up both lines of scrimmage with defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and guard Tate Rutledge.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beef up
Cite this Entry
“Beef up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beef%20up. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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