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 One other note on Tagovailoa: His trainer, Nick Hicks, said on social media that the team asked Tagovailoa to bulk up last season to reduce the risk of injury. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024 Washington should thus devote its diplomatic attention and economic resources to those countries that have expressed interest in bulking up their defenses against Chinese encroachment and assisting their neighbors’ efforts to do the same. John Lee, Foreign Affairs, 21 Nov. 2023 After an offseason spent bulking up their roster with international stars, the Legion will open the 2024 season on Saturday. Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, retailers are racing to bulk up to keep pace with the likes of Amazon and Walmart. Robert Daugherty, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Time to starting gearing up for, planning for, and taking full advantage of the annual bass spawn, when fish concentrate in the shallows to bulk up and start bedding. Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 21 Feb. 2024 The 22-year-old Matos, meanwhile, clearly took to heart the club’s directive to bulk up this offseason, looking noticeably more muscular below the new set of cornrows on his head. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024 Bragg’s recently bulked up the team handling the case by adding one of the city’s most experienced trial attorneys, Joshua Steinglass, who has tried high-profile gruesome homicides in front of New York juries. TIME, 8 Feb. 2024 Red Lentil Chili Lentils, black beans and kidney beans bulk up this vegan chili that comes together in less than an hour. Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bulk up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of bulk up was in 1979

Dictionary Entries Near bulk up

Cite this Entry

“Bulk up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bulk%20up. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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