Oxford Essential Dictionary
beef
noun (no plural)
meat from a cow:
roast beef
Look at the note at cow
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
beef
I. beef1 S3 /biːf/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: buef, from Latin bos 'ox']
1. [uncountable] the meat from a cow:
roast beef
We have both dairy and beef cattle on the farm.
2. [countable] informal a complaint:
OK, so what’s the beef this time?
3. where’s the beef? American English spoken used when you think someone’s promises sound good, but you want to know what they actually plan to do
⇨ corned beef
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
beef
beef [beef beeves] noun, verb [biːf] [biːf]
noun
1. uncountable meat that comes from a cow
• roast/minced beef
• beef and dairy cattle
• a joint/fillet of beef
see also corned beef
2. countable (informal) a complaint
• What's his latest beef?
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French boef, from Latin bos, bov- ‘ox’.
Example Bank:
• Dad stood up to carve the beef.
• a kilo of very lean minced beef
• carving a joint of beef
• cuts of beef that are suitable for roasting
Derived: beef something up
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French boef, from Latin bos, bov- ‘ox’.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
bacon / beɪ.k ə n / noun [ U ]
B1 meat from the back or sides of a pig, often eaten fried in thin slices:
a bacon sandwich
a slice/rasher of bacon
bacon and eggs
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
beef / bif / noun [ U ] mainly UK informal (FORCE)
strength, power, or force:
He said that the newly published government report didn't have much beef in it.
Push harder! Put some beef into it!
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
beef / bif / noun [ C ] informal (COMPLAINT)
a complaint:
My main beef about the job is that I have to work on Saturdays.
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
beef
[bi͟ːf]
beefs, beefing, beefed
1) N-UNCOUNT Beef is the meat of a cow, bull, or ox.
→ See also corned beef
...roast beef.
...beef stew.
...exports of beef and powdered milk.
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1beef /ˈbiːf/ noun, pl beefs
1 [noncount] : meat from a cow
• a pound of beef
• ground beef
• I'm not eating as much beef as I used to.
- often used before another noun
• the beef industry
• beef stew [=a stew made with beef]
2 [count] informal : complaint
• My real beef is with the organization's president, not the group itself.
• What's your beef?
3 [noncount] informal : muscles
• a football player with a lot of beef and brawn [=a very muscular football player]