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

Christoffer Clemmensen, an obesity researcher at the University of Copenhagen, drew a parallel between the excessive use of weight-loss medications and inappropriate uses of anabolic steroids to bulk up muscles. —Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 19 Nov. 2025

Some fibers can improve blood sugar … and others simply bulk up stool. —Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 15 Nov. 2025

With its tongue way up its cheek, this zero-fat survival thriller is not bulked up with gratuitous sociological mumbo jumbo or layered with hidden meanings. —Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025

Dubizzle has been bulking up over the past year, acquiring Egypt’s Hatla2ee, which attracts more than 2 million monthly visitors across its website and mobile app, building on its portfolio of auto platforms, including DriveArabia. —Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 10 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