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

On one hand, the Red Sox only added a reliever and a backend starter as their rivals across the American League bulked up significantly. —Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2025

The European Commission has been bulking up its military supplies but has been focused on buying primarily from European companies so far. —Steve Kopack, NBC news, 27 July 2025

This is important for toilet time, since fiber can help soften and bulk up your stool, speeding up its progress through your digestive tract. —Caroline Tien, SELF, 24 June 2025

Economists have also cited cuts to federal government jobs and a more restrictive immigration policy, but warned that the uncertainty of tariffs would make companies reluctant to bulk up staff until the dust settles. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 1 Aug. 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