bottle up
phrasal verb
bottled up; bottling up; bottles up
: to keep (a feeling or emotion) inside instead of expressing it : to hide (a feeling or emotion)
She's kept her feelings about the accident bottled up for too long.
I know he's angry, but he bottles it up inside instead of talking to someone about it.
Examples of bottle up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Terry Hynes, an attorney specializing in rail infrastructure projects, argued planning issues in particular have bottled up capital investment.
—
James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025
At some point, whatever is bottling up the Mets’ offense will come unstuck and the runs will come.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 May 2025
Since arriving in the Southeast Asian country alongside his unconditionally supportive and noticeably younger girlfriend, Chelsea (played by Aimee Lou Wood), Rick has clearly been dealing with something and has bottled up a lot of pain & frustration.
—Jeff Conway, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Minnesota did still have a chance to win, even on a night when the Thunder bottled up Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle while Oklahoma City’s Big 3 of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren stepped up in every possible way.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bottle up
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James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025
At some point, whatever is bottling up the Mets’ offense will come unstuck and the runs will come.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 May 2025
Since arriving in the Southeast Asian country alongside his unconditionally supportive and noticeably younger girlfriend, Chelsea (played by Aimee Lou Wood), Rick has clearly been dealing with something and has bottled up a lot of pain & frustration.
—Jeff Conway, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Minnesota did still have a chance to win, even on a night when the Thunder bottled up Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle while Oklahoma City’s Big 3 of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren stepped up in every possible way.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bottle up
Cite this Entry
“Bottle up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bottle%20up. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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