as in complaining
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
he tends to stand around and beef for hours about any slight, real or imagined
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Recent Examples of beefing
Nader’s character Selene is a Zuma Beach lifeguard constantly beefing with new, grown up Hobie Buchanon, played by Stephen Amell.
—
Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 9 Mar. 2026
Bill Maher and Jimmy Kimmel are beefing.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Smith launched their original Slider sunglasses in 1995, leaning into the nineties silhouette and beefing it up with the first patented dual-lens interchangeable system.
—Lily Ritter, Outside, 14 Jan. 2026
Efforts at beefing them up priced them out of existence.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2026
Injuries would be a concern, but this is a beefing-up-the-squad signing.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
The reason that Natalie and Kim are beefing is because Kim doesn’t like that Marcus and Natalie are becoming friends.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
Grocery behemoth Trader Joe’s and jam giant Smucker are beefing right now.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Oct. 2025
Zach Bryan has pledged to never perform in Kansas City again after once again beefing with Chiefs fans on social media.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 10 Aug. 2025
Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 9 Mar. 2026
Bill Maher and Jimmy Kimmel are beefing.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Smith launched their original Slider sunglasses in 1995, leaning into the nineties silhouette and beefing it up with the first patented dual-lens interchangeable system.
—Lily Ritter, Outside, 14 Jan. 2026
Efforts at beefing them up priced them out of existence.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2026
Injuries would be a concern, but this is a beefing-up-the-squad signing.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
The reason that Natalie and Kim are beefing is because Kim doesn’t like that Marcus and Natalie are becoming friends.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
Grocery behemoth Trader Joe’s and jam giant Smucker are beefing right now.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Oct. 2025
Zach Bryan has pledged to never perform in Kansas City again after once again beefing with Chiefs fans on social media.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 10 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beefing
Verb
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Rather than complaining and predicting economic ruin, Americans treated rationing as noble.—
Gil Troy,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Some Toyota fans reacted poorly to the announcement, complaining about the loss of the hybrid version of the Highlander that Toyota has marketed since 2005.—
Keith Laing,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Authorities say Valdez had multiple untreated mental health disorders, including schizophrenia, and that he had been seen in Concord earlier in the day screaming at cars.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Williams was celebrating an offensive foul called against Doncic by gleefully screaming in Doncic's personal space.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Or get ready for a lot of groaning and whining.—
Keely Doll,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Mar. 2026
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With LeBron James buying into a supporting actor role, the Lakers are a legitimate threat because Doncic is more focused on scoring buckets than whining to officials.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Beefing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beefing. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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