to well up
23
5.2
- phrasal verb
- /wɛl ʌp/
:
llenarse (de)
- As she watched the emotional movie, tears began to well up in her eyes.
- tears well up
You will find like a deep anxiety welling up in your chest.
- You will find like a deep anxiety welling up in your chest.
- And my eyes welled up with tears and I started crying.
- So I looked at Fergie who was welling up.
- Your heart is racing, you feel sick, you feel tears well up in your eyes.
- And I found myself start to well up in the gym as I was trying to lift the weight.
- Give me like a sponge with a fuzzy bum and my eyes well up.
- But that was just a lie that I used to get by so that you wouldn't see the tears welling up in my eyes.
- I must have just been deep within thought, mate, I wasn't welling up, OK?
- I just let it well up until I have to let it all out in one big lovely breakdown.
- I don't plan to, but I when we start talking about family or being a dad, I start to well up.
- I'm almost in tears because I thought of a certain thing and I won't share what I thought of, but as you probably I got tears welling up.
- I'm almost in tears because I thought of a certain thing and I won't share what I thought of, but as you probably get, I got tears welling up.
- And I, I had been sort of this, this anger within me every time somebody would park in my parking spot would well up.
- So I'm watching myself on TV listening to this music and like we're like welling up, tried to sleep, just completely like jacked up on adrenaline.
- So I'm watching myself on TV listening to this music and like we're like welling up, tried to sleep, just complete like jacked up on adrenaline.
Examples
-
Meredydd felt the hot tears well up from the depths of her heart and overflow her eyes.
Fiction book (1992) -
And my eyes welled up with tears and I started crying.
-
...and begin to cry, or well up...
-
Your heart is racing, you feel sick, you feel tears well up in your eyes.
-
And I found myself start to well up in the gym as I was trying to lift the weight.
-
"Suddenly, to my horror, I felt my eyes well up with tears again."
Fiction book (1990) -
When her emotions well up, they further hinder her ability to think clearly.
Academic text (2000) -
You will find like a deep anxiety welling up in your chest.
-
I'm welling up with tears.
-
Jacob stares at himself for a long time as a huge cry wells up inside him.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
29
4.2
To feel a strong emotion, like pride or anger, growing inside
24
4.2
To rise up and flow out, as a liquid or feeling
Antonyms
How Intense
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to rise up or become strongly felt' is directly derivable from 'well' (to surge or rise, especially liquids or emotions) plus 'up' (indicating upward movement or increase). This verb+particle composition maps clearly onto a motion/metaphor (tears or feelings rising), a common and cross-linguistically accessible pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Well up probably comes from the image of water in a well rising up to the top and starting to flow. So when something like tears or pride 'wells up' it means the feeling rises inside and can be seen.