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to bundle up

to bundle up

5 2.4
Put on warm clothes, often several layers, to stay warm
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈbʌndəl ʌp/
translation icon : abrigarse
  • Some people just bundle up and deal with it; others stay in their rooms and complain, and then there's Professor Varland.
  • bundled up against the cold
  • bundle up for winter
  • bundle up the baby

I I have to bundle up when it's cold because it's, you know, cold.

Examples

  • I really don't mind the cold too much; I can always bundle up.

    Blog text (31)
  • Be sure to bundle up if you go outside.

  • But be prepared to bundle up tonight.

  • Make sure you bundle up because it's freezing out there, OK?

  • In the North, we can keep warm by bundling up, which is easier than staying cool in Arizona with A/C.

    Blog text (15)
  • The steam vents will soon shut off for the night so you'll want to settle in quickly and bundle up until morning.

  • I was bundled up in my coat, scarf, and woolen hat.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Bundle up good, 'cause it's going to be a long winter—at least in Punxsutawney.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • If I happen to spy clear skies on a winter's weeknight, I simply bundle up, roll the Dobsonian beast on a carpeted wheely cart to the elevator, and zip to the roof.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Make sure to bundle up before you head out into the snow.

Synonyms

to wrap up
vsto bundle up
9 2.8

Put on warm clothes to keep warm in cold weather

focuses more on layering and protecting others rather than only getting warm
to dress warmly
vsto bundle up
3 1.0

Put on warm clothes to stay warm in cold weather

emphasizes multiple layers especially rather than just enough warmth
3.5

To wear several layers of clothing to keep warm

can also mean dressing another person for protection from cold
to duddle
vsto bundle up
  • Archaic
9.9

To wrap someone or something warmly in a blanket

involves dressing with layers rather than tightly wrapping another person

Antonyms

12 5.1

To take off most or all of your clothes

undress
  • NSFW
5 3.3

The state of wearing no or only some clothes

How Warm

to swaddle
12 3.8
to bundle up
5 2.4

Surface Forms

bundle up infinitive
bundled up past
bundled up past participle
bundling up present participle
bundles up third person singular

Morphology

bundle + up

The base verb 'bundle' already means to tie or gather items into one package, and the particle 'up' here contributes a completive/put-together sense rather than changing the meaning unpredictably. This verb+particle composition is a common, transparent pattern in English (and parallels exist in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE means to tie or wrap items into a bundle.

Etymology

Bundle up comes from the image of wrapping a person in many layers so they look like a small bundle. So, 'bundle up' means 'to put on warm clothes' to keep warm.