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

Telemundo has also been bulking up on sports rights, in addition to offering NBC's sports in Spanish telecasts. — Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 22 July 2026

New York has bulked up its incentives to Hollywood, removing the cap last year on above the line qualified spending, among other efforts. — Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026

As for his physical preparation, Maridueña bulked up to about 130 pounds, then added 25 to 30 pounds of muscle by lifting weights and doing martial arts. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 14 July 2026

This is one of our favorite ways to bulk up macaroni and cheese for dinnertime. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 12 July 2026

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