to pack on
6
4.5
- phrasal verb
- /pæk ɑn/
- Informal
:
aumentar de peso
- Especially after you've packed on a couple of pounds.
- pack on pounds
- pack on weight
- pack on fat
Examples
-
I still might pack on that freshman 15.
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" That is, even active people will pack on pounds if they eat like most of us in the West.
Blog text (34) -
Those things pack on the pounds, man.
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Most of us also know it is a great way to pack on the pounds.
Blog text (20) -
And besides, you look like you packed on a few pounds over the years.
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And, sadly, you begin to pack on the pounds.
Blog text (26) -
Eating because you are bored, sad, or angry can really pack on the pounds, so take measures to prevent this from happening.
Blog text (32) -
To explore the amazing and diverse food places Chicago has to offer without packing on the pounds.
Blog text (9) -
Drinking coffee with a lot of sugar can end up packing on the pounds by adding extra calories.
Blog text (25) -
In college, many freshmen worry they will pack on the infamous 'freshman 15'.
Synonyms
58
2.2
To gain weight and become heavier
15
5.6
To gain muscle and weight by exercising and eating more
10
2.3
To give extra food so a person or animal gains weight
Antonyms
How Heavy
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to gain weight' is a metaphorical extension of 'pack' (to put/accumulate) with the particle 'on' signalling addition; the parts suggest an increase but do not literally describe gaining body mass. A B1 learner who knows both words and sees the weight context can often infer the meaning, but the phrasal-verb use is idiomatic enough that it is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Pack on comes from the picture of adding things on top of a pile: to pack extra items on makes the pile bigger. So when someone adds body weight, we say they 'pack on' pounds, meaning 'to gain weight'.