bulk up

verb

bulked up; bulking up; bulks up

intransitive verb

: to gain weight especially by becoming more muscular

transitive verb

: to cause to bulk up

Examples of bulk up in a Sentence

she bulked up her hair with one hand as she reached for the shears with the other

Recent Examples on the Web

The Ellisons are also mindful of other major movie and TV streamers, particularly Amazon, Apple, and Disney, which bulked up a few years ago by acquiring most of Fox's entertainment assets. —David Folkenflik, NPR, 8 Dec. 2025

The platform has bulked up heavily on sports programming but has been lacking on original content. —Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025

Adding Starchy Foods If your soup feels too thin, adding starchy ingredients like rice, potatoes, or pasta can help, while also bulking up the dish. —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 3 Dec. 2025

Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, bulks up the stool and allows food to move swiftly from the stomach to the intestine, according to Anderson-Haynes. —Danielle Zickl, SELF, 27 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for bulk up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup