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to plump out

to plump out

6.1
To make someone or something rounder and fuller
  • phrasal verb
  • /plʌmp aʊt/
  • UK
translation icon : engordar
  • They use special creams to plump out their lips and achieve a fuller look.

It just like gives you that moisture and it just helps plump out your face and give it that really like nice natural glow.

Examples

  • It just like gives you that moisture and it just helps plump out your face and give it that really like nice natural glow.

  • Reactivating collagen and elastin production from within might be an alternative to injecting bovine collagen to plump out wrinkles.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The new diet helped her plump out her cheeks, giving her a healthier appearance.

  • After a few weeks of eating more, he began to plump out as his body adjusted.

Synonyms

to fatten
vsto plump out
45 2.2

To make an animal gain weight and a sauce taste richer by giving more or richer food

focuses on producing a fuller shape whether by fat or added mass
to inflate
vsto plump out
44 2.9

To fill something with air so it becomes larger and round

involves increasing solid bulk or fat rather than inflating with air
to fill out
vsto plump out
14 2.8

To become or make something fuller by adding more

focuses specifically on increasing flesh or weight rather than general completion
to fatten up
vsto plump out
10 2.3

To give extra food so a person or animal gains weight

applies more broadly to increasing size or filling out shape not only feeding
to fat
vsto plump out
8 7.7

To make someone gain body weight

emphasizes roundness or filled shape rather than only weight increase
to plump
vsto plump out
5 3.8

To make someone or something fuller and rounder

is about increasing actual bulk or weight to make something fatter
to puff out
vsto plump out
5 3.5

To make something larger by filling with air or pride

refers to increasing physical bulk or fat rather than air or emotion
to puff up
vsto plump out
2 4.4

To make something larger or more full, for example by filling it with air

means adding real mass or flesh to increase body or object size
to plump up
vsto plump out
1 4.5

To make a pillow or cushion fuller by fluffing it

is used when the change comes from added mass or body weight
to chub
vsto plump out
  • Informal
1 9.1

To become slightly fatter by gaining weight

describes a process that makes an item or body generally fuller and rounder
to fatten out
vsto plump out
4.9

To make an animal or person gain weight

is aimed at making an item or body look fuller by flesh increase
to enflesh
vsto plump out
9.9

To make an animal or person fatter

is the general act of making something fuller in size or shape

Antonyms

18 3.1

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

to thin out
  • Informal
5 3.5

Remove some people or things so the rest are more spread out

How Plump

to fatten
45 2.2
to plump out
  • UK
6.1
to bulk
  • Jargon
15 5.6
to fill out
14 2.8

Surface Forms

plump out infinitive
plumped out past participle
plumping out present participle
plumps out third person singular

Morphology

plump + out

The base verb 'plump' (to make rounder or filled) combined with the particle 'out' (indicating outward movement or completion) yields a straightforward compositional sense of making something more rounded or filled out. This verb+particle construction follows common English patterns (cf. 'fill out', 'plump up') and is readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings.

Etymology

Plump out comes from the simple picture of plump, meaning making soft and round, and out, meaning fully. Imagine adding stuffing until a cushion fills out or feeding a kitten so it looks round. That is why it means 'to make someone or something fatter or fuller'.