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Glite Dictionary
to fluff up

to fluff up

2 3.3
To make something fuller and softer by shaking or separating it
  • phrasal verb
  • /flʌf ʌp/
translation icon : esponjar
  • To make the blanket warmer, she decided to fluff up the feathers inside.
  • fluffed up the pillows
  • fluff up your hair

Examples

  • She has her own room, her own queen-sized bed fluffed up with pillows in a room filled with her knick-knacks, a room made cozy because it is hers.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • The sparrows tried to keep warm by fluffing up their feathers until they resembled small balls of down.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Just fluff up your hair a little.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • I put on lipstick and have Sheila fluff up my hair in the back where it's gotten so flat from lying in bed.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Then she fluffed up his pillows and put a little ice on his back to cool the fire in those battle-scarred nerves.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • She fluffed up the dark green taffeta bow that made her eyes sparkle.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • "I feel such a fool for spoiling the party." "You didn't spoil it," said Beth, fluffing up the pillows so that she could lie back more comfortably.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Mudear must have been sicker for longer than we knew to allow sheets to smell like this in her house, she thought as she fluffed up the pillows and flapped the sheets of the familiar bed.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Inside, the bedclothes were always tucked in, the pillows fluffed up, his several shirts and three suits neatly on hangers, and his three pairs of shoes abreast on the closet floor.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • After she finished styling her hair, she gave it a gentle shake to fluff up the curls.

Synonyms

to tease
vsto fluff up
  • Specialized
25 6.8

To pull apart and loosen fibers by brushing or combing them

covers that technique but is wider, including shaking or separating whole items
to fluff
vsto fluff up
17 4.1

To make hair or fabric look fuller by brushing

is broader and includes making items airier by separating or shaking fibers
to shake up
vsto fluff up
10 3.5

To move something quickly so it becomes fluffier or looser

allows shaking or separating to make items lighter and airier
to fluff the pillow
vsto fluff up
3 2.8

To make a pillow fuller and softer by shaking and patting it

is the general action used on many items to create a lighter texture
to pouf
vsto fluff up
2 8.1

To make hair or cloth look rounded and full

is about making things airier and lighter rather than forming a rounded shape
to plump up
vsto fluff up
1 4.5

To make a pillow or cushion fuller by fluffing it

aims more for a light, airy feel rather than adding roundness
to pluff
vsto fluff up
9.9

To make a pillow or cushion soft and fluffy by patting it

focuses more generally on creating a lighter, airier texture by separating fibers

Antonyms

to compress
94 3.7

To press something so it takes less space

to deflate
18 3.1

To let air out of something so it becomes smaller or loses its shape

How Fluffy

to plump up
1 4.5
to fluff up
2 3.3
to shake out
10 2.9
to ruffle
7 4.2

Surface Forms

fluff up infinitive
fluffed up past
fluffed up past participle
fluffing up present participle
fluffs up third person singular

Morphology

fluff + up

The meaning 'to make something fuller, lighter, or airier by shaking or separating it' is directly derived from combining 'fluff' (to arrange or shake to make items fuller) with the particle 'up' (indicating increase/intensification). This is a regular verb+particle construction that follows transparent compositional patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Fluff up comes from shaking a pillow or cushion so the fluff, the soft filling, spreads and the pillow looks fuller and softer. That's why it means 'to make something fuller, lighter, or airier'.