bottle up

phrasal verb

bottled up; bottling up; bottles up

: to keep (a feeling or emotion) inside instead of expressing it : to hide (a feeling or emotion)

She's kept her feelings about the accident bottled up for too long.

I know he's angry, but he bottles it up inside instead of talking to someone about it.

Examples of bottle up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Nothing seemed different in the second half as Boswell continued to keep Saginaw bottled up, but the Pioneers failed to add to their lead with two possessions that led to punts before the turning point of the game on Boswell’s third time on offense. —Pat Wheeler, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2025

Berryhill Salted Caramel Apple Spread Few flavor pairings feel more like fall than apple and caramel, and this indulgent $3 spread bottles up the best of both. —Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Sep. 2025

After being largely bottled up during his team's first two possessions, Barkley ran in a touchdown from 10 yards to put Philadelphia ahead 21-17 with 51 seconds before halftime. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 5 Sep. 2025

Republicans control a 13-11 majority on the Senate Banking Committee, which means that any one Republican senator could bottle up a nominee in committee by voting with the Democrats against the pick. —Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 27 Aug. 2025

Rhymes for bottle up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup