beef
gb/bˈif/ us/bˈif/
A2
Inglês
~ 5600
Aceções
0 aceções
Nome
A2
entity
1
meat from cows
Meat from a cow that people eat.
Padrão de uso:
[someone] eats [beef]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes confuse this meaning with the slang meaning of 'beef' as a complaint or conflict. In food contexts, 'beef' almost always means meat from a cow.
Sinónimos
meat (A general word for animal flesh used as food, not only from cows.)
Antónimos
vegetarian food (Food that does not contain meat, the opposite of beef-based dishes.)
Colocações
ground beef
|roast beef
|beef stew
|beef burger
|beef cattle
|beef industry
Temas
food
|daily life
|animals
|food_drink
|daily_life
Exemplos
- We had grilled beef with vegetables for dinner.
- The price of beef has gone up this year.
- She doesn’t eat beef for religious reasons.
- This restaurant is famous for its beef stew.
- He ordered a beef burger and fries.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- I like to eat beef on the weekend.
- My father is cooking beef for lunch.
- They do not sell beef in that shop.
- She made a soup with beef and potatoes.
Nome
informal
B1
entity
2
complaint or grievance
A problem or complaint that you have about someone or something.
Padrão de uso:
have a beef with [someone/something]
Erro comum:
Learners may think of food when they hear 'beef' and miss the figurative meaning. In expressions like 'have a beef with' or 'what's your beef?', it means 'complaint', not meat.
Sinónimos
grievance (More formal and often used about official or serious complaints.)
Antónimos
satisfaction (Describes feeling pleased instead of having a complaint.)
Colocações
have a beef with
|my main beef
|serious beef
|personal beef
|long-standing beef
|settle our beef
Temas
emotions
|communication
|conflict
|relationships
Exemplos
- If you’ve got a beef with me, just say it.
- My only beef with this phone is the short battery life.
- What’s your beef with the new manager?
- She still has a beef about the way they treated her.
- We talked it through and settled our beef.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- Do you have a beef with your boss?
- My beef with this class is the homework; it is too long.
- He has no beef with you; he is just tired.
- Her main beef is that the trains are always late.
Verbo
informal
B2
action
3
complain in an annoyed way
To say again and again that you are unhappy about something.
Padrão de uso:
beef about [something]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes try to use 'beef' as a verb in formal writing. This verb is informal and is better in speech or casual text.
Sinónimos
whine (Sounds more critical and can suggest childish or high-pitched complaining.)
Antónimos
accept (To agree to something without complaining.)
Colocações
constantly beef
|beef about everything
|always beefing
|beef online
|beef on social media
|beef to management
Temas
communication
|emotions
|relationships
Exemplos
- He’s always beefing about his low salary.
- Stop beefing and do something about it.
- They went online to beef about the poor service.
- She beefed to HR about the new policy.
- The fans are still beefing about the ticket prices.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- My friend always beefs about his job.
- People beef online when they are unhappy with a product.
- He beefed about the long line at the bank.
- She is beefing again about the noise upstairs.
Nome
informal
B2
property
4
physical size or muscular strength
Big, strong muscles and physical power.
Padrão de uso:
[someone] has (the) beef
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes confuse this with the food meaning. When it describes people’s bodies or strength, it is informal and does not mean meat.
Sinónimos
muscle (Neutral, more common word for physical strength or the actual body part.)
Antónimos
weakness (Lack of physical strength, the opposite of having a lot of beef.)
Colocações
add some beef
|more beef
|all beef
|extra beef
|beef and muscle
|put some beef on
Temas
body
|sports
|appearance
|health
Exemplos
- He’s put on some serious beef at the gym.
- The team needs more beef on the defensive line.
- They hired extra beef to move the heavy equipment.
- The new engine gives the truck a lot more beef.
- You can really see the beef in his shoulders.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- He goes to the gym to get more beef.
- The guards have a lot of beef; they are very strong.
- This small car has no beef; it is not very powerful.
- They need more beef to lift that big box.
Nome
slang
B2
entity
5
serious conflict or feud
A serious and sometimes long fight or problem between people or groups.
Padrão de uso:
[someone] has beef with [someone]
Erro comum:
Learners may mix this slang sense with the milder 'complaint' meaning. In youth and hip-hop contexts, 'beef' usually means a serious conflict, not just a small problem.
Sinónimos
feud (Suggests a long, often bitter conflict, not limited to slang or youth culture.)
Antónimos
peace (A state without conflict, the opposite of having beef.)
Colocações
rap beef
|street beef
|online beef
|start beef
|squash the beef
|deep beef
Temas
conflict
|crime
|relationships
|communication
Exemplos
- The two rappers have had beef for years.
- Nobody wants street beef spilling into the club.
- They finally squashed the beef after a long meeting.
- There’s some serious beef between those two families.
- He went on live to talk about the beef with his former partner.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The two singers have beef and do not talk.
- He does not want any beef with his neighbors.
- They had beef in the past, but now they are friends.
- There is online beef between the two groups.
Nome
B2
entity
6
cattle raised for meat
Cows and similar animals that farmers keep to make beef meat.
Padrão de uso:
[someone] raises beef
Erro comum:
Learners often assume 'beef' always means meat on the plate. In farming and business news, it can mean the animals raised for meat.
Sinónimos
cattle (A general term for cows and related animals, not only those raised for meat.)
Antónimos
dairy cattle (Cattle raised for milk rather than meat.)
Colocações
beef cattle
|beef herd
|beef producer
|beef farm
|beef industry
|beef prices
Temas
agriculture
|business
|food
|animals
|food_drink
Exemplos
- The region is known for high-quality beef cattle.
- He runs a small beef operation in the valley.
- Global demand for beef has affected local farmers.
- They decided to switch from dairy to beef production.
- Beef prices rose after a disease hit several herds.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- His family keeps beef on their farm.
- Many farmers in this area raise beef.
- The country exports a lot of beef to other nations.
- They changed from dairy cows to beef cows.
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
beef
IPA
GB/bˈif/
US/bˈif/
Sílabas e acento
beef (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (beef)
Formas da palavra
Noun
- Base: beef
- Plural: beef, beefs, beeves
Verb
- Base: beef
- 3rd Person Singular: beefs
- Present Participle: beefing
- Past: beefed
Família de palavras
Forms
beefs
noun
beeves
noun
beefing
verb
beefed
verb
Core family
beefy
adjective
Related words
beefburger
noun
Expressões
beef about
1/bˈif əbˈaʊt/
phrasal verb
informal
complain about something
To complain in an annoyed way about something.
Exemplos
- He’s always beefing about the noise next door.
- People often beef about the trains being late.
beef up
1/bˈif ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
make stronger or more effective
To make something stronger, bigger, or more effective.
Exemplos
- They beefed up security after the break-in.
- The company is beefing up its marketing team this year.
- You should beef up your résumé before applying.
have a beef with
1/hˈæv ə bˈif wˈɪθ/
idiom
informal
have a complaint about
To have a problem or complaint about a person or thing.
Exemplos
- If you have a beef with the service, talk to the manager.
- She has a beef with the way the company treats its staff.
- I don’t have a beef with you; I just disagree.
no beef
1/nˈoʊ bˈif/
idiom
slang
no conflict or problem
Used to say there is no problem or conflict with someone.
Exemplos
- We’ve got no beef; everything’s cool between us.
- He said there was no beef and that it was all a misunderstanding.
squash the beef
1/skwˈɑʃ ðə bˈif/
idiom
slang
end a conflict or feud
To end a serious argument or conflict and make peace.
Exemplos
- The two artists met in private to squash the beef.
- They finally squashed the beef and shook hands on stage.
squash the beef
1/skwˈɑʃ ðə bˈif/
idiom
slang
settle a conflict
To stop fighting and make peace.
Exemplos
- They finally met up to squash the beef after months of arguing.
- If you want to squash the beef, just apologize and move on.
- He called her to squash the beef before the event.
what's your beef?
1/wˈʌts jˈʊɹ bˈif ‖/
idiom
informal
ask what someone’s problem is
Used to ask someone why they are angry or unhappy, or what their complaint is.
Exemplos
- What’s your beef? I was only trying to help.
- He walked in looking angry, so I asked, “What’s your beef?”
where's the beef?
1/wˈɛɹz ðə bˈif ‖/
idiom
slang
ask where the substance is
Used to say that something does not seem to have real value, facts, or results.
Exemplos
- The ad sounds great, but where’s the beef?
- Politicians make promises, but voters want to know: where’s the beef?