Beef tomato means: A standard British English term for a large, fleshy variety of tomato - the type with thick walls and a meaty texture, typically used in sandwiches and salads where a substantial slice is needed.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
beef tomato
A standard British English term for a large, fleshy variety of tomato — the type with thick walls and a meaty texture, typically used in sandwiches and salads where a substantial slice is needed.
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 28, 2026UK
A standard British English term for a large, fleshy variety of tomato — the type with thick walls and a meaty texture, typically used in sandwiches and salads where a substantial slice is needed. Not slang; simply the British name for what Americans might call a beefsteak tomato. The name reflects the tomato's size and dense flesh.
She bought a couple of beef tomatoes at the market to slice thick for the burgers.
Origin: Descriptive compound: 'beef' (indicating large size and dense, meaty quality) + 'tomato'; parallel to American 'beefsteak tomato.' Editorial expansion authored on Slangora.
For parents
Beef tomato means: A standard British English term for a large, fleshy variety of tomato - the type with thick walls and a meaty texture, typically used in sandwiches and salads where a substantial slice is needed.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
For ESL learners
beef tomato means: A standard British English term for a large, fleshy variety of tomato - the type with thick walls and a meaty texture, typically used in sandwiches and salads where a. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Was this helpful?
Comments
UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
(UK) a type of large tomato.
Cluster: general
Was this helpful?
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
UK
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "beef tomato".
🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "beef tomato" (B)
beef flapsbeefheadbeef injectionbeef outbeefpackingbeefsteak tomatobeef to the hoofbeef trustbeef upbee gumbeehivebee hoon
Browse all slang words starting with B.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- beefsteak tomato84%
An American and Canadian term for a variety of large, meaty tomato with thick flesh and relatively few seeds, prized for slicing. The name reflects both its size and the dense, substantial texture compared to smaller varieties. Beefsteak tomatoes are a staple of summer cooking and sandwich-making.
- beefsteak tomato79%
(US, Canada) A type of large tomato.
- big as bull-beef63%
An old-fashioned British slang simile meaning extremely large or impressively big — as massive and solid as a bull. The comparison to bull beef (the meat of a bull, considered especially large and substantial) makes the size claim vivid and physical. While largely archaic today, it survives in historical literature and as a colorful example of the earthy, livestock-inflected comparisons common in pre-industrial British speech.
- beefaroni62%
(US) a baked dish of macaroni, ground beef, cheese and tomato sauce.