to fill up
10
1.9
- phrasal verb
- /fɪl ʌp/
:
llenarse
- It's easy to fill up on snacks and then not have room for dinner.
- fill up on bread
- fill up on food
- fill up on salad
For example, we might eat because we take more food to get filled up.
- For example, we might eat because we take more food to get filled up.
- And so in other words, if you are more hungry, for example, you're going to take more food to get filled up.
Examples
-
She likes to fill up on healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.
-
I don't often get the chance to fill up on food that isn't my own cooking!
-
No, let him fill up on the bread.
-
I filled up on vegetables.
-
I fill up on fruits and vegetables; I make that the center of my plate.
Blog text (8) -
Don't fill up on bread.
-
Some people were using their weekly community potluck suppers to get drunk or to fill up on food before everyone got there.
Blog text (25) -
In fact, she often fails to finish her entrée because she has filled up on appetizers.
Fiction book (2000) -
After a long hike, I made sure to fill up on plenty of food before heading home.
Synonyms
94
3.0
To fill a car, box, or yourself with things until each is full
12
5.9
To eat a very large amount of food greedily
3
6.6
Have enough of something so you do not want more
3
8.2
To eat a lot of food very quickly
Have as much of something as you want until you feel satisfied
To eat a lot of food quickly
Antonyms
How Full
Surface Forms
Morphology
fill + up
The meaning 'to eat until one is completely full' is directly derived from 'fill' (to make full) combined with the particle 'up', which signals completion or fullness. This compositional completion pattern is common in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase fill up comes from the image of a stomach or plate being filled until there is no space left. That is why we say someone 'filled up' when they have eaten enough to be 'full'.