to beef up
34
4.5
- phrasal verb
- /biːf ʌp/
- Informal
:
reforzar
- And a rise in the number of mobile lawyers is forcing some firms to beef up security.
So they want they want to beef up IRS audits so we'd have more compliance.
- So they want they want to beef up IRS audits so we'd have more compliance.
- We continue to beef up this company from a content creation standpoint.
- The first thing I did was beef up all the entry exit points in the office, starting with the front door with the doorbell Cam.
Examples
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Chicago and Boston are either adding stations or beefing up service along inner-city commuter rail segments.
Blog text (32) -
It's our direct marketing to patients we need to beef up.
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We can find some guys to beef up security.
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"Yesterday, we called the police, and they said they were going to beef up the security around here."
Blog text (26) -
We continue to beef up this company from a content creation standpoint.
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The SEC has been warning Wall Street firms and market exchanges to beef up their cybersecurity efforts.
Blog text (16) -
City officials are beefing up security on our subways, buses and airports.
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Microsoft wanted to beef up its offerings for the new OS/2 LAN Manager product.
Blog text (16) -
Microsoft worried about Xbox 720 leaks, beefs up security as a result.
Blog text (10) -
We need to beef up our marketing strategy to attract more customers.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To make something larger or more in number
∞
2.9
To make an amount, level, or value higher
822
1.8
Make something larger in number, amount or degree
327
3.0
To make muscles, relationships, or groups stronger
265
2.5
To make something increase or work better
220
5.5
To become larger, more serious, or more intense
207
3.0
Increase slowly over time
177
3.5
To make something newer or better, for example a phone
110
4.0
Make something stronger or more intense
99
3.9
Make something stronger by adding support or extra parts
74
3.4
Make something greater in amount, speed or strength
52
5.3
To make something bigger by adding more to it
47
4.1
To increase something, especially its amount or speed
44
4.1
To make something larger, stronger, or more important
39
3.8
To increase the level or strength of something, for example volume, production
25
3.6
To raise a price or fee suddenly by a large amount
23
3.4
To raise prices or amounts by a lot
12
5.9
To raise prices or rent suddenly by a lot
9
3.9
Increase the size or amount of something so it still works well
9
1.3
Make an amount or level higher
3
5.1
Make something stronger by adding support or protection
1
5.8
To make something better in how it works or how it looks
To give help to someone or something to make them stronger
To increase the money available for a project or plan
Make a plan or way of working stronger so it works better
To make something more attractive by adding new parts
Make digital images bigger or clearer
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
beef + up
The particle 'up' clearly signals increase, and 'beef' can be metaphorically interpreted as making something more 'meaty' or substantial, so a learner who knows both words might infer the general idea of strengthening or enlarging. However, the use of 'beef' in this verbal, metaphorical sense is not strictly literal or universally obvious, so the exact meaning is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrasal verb beef up may come from the picture of adding extra beef to a meal to make it more filling, and the up part shows the amount is increased. That's why to beef something up means to 'make it stronger, better, or bigger'.