bundle up

bundle up — phrasal verb

  • bundle upbase form
  • bundles up3rd person singular
  • bundling up-ing form
  • bundled uppast simple

1. to gather several items and wrap or tie them firmly together, forming a single p

1.phrasal verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to gather several items and wrap or tie them firmly together, forming a single package that can be easily carried or stored.

Example

Before moving house, Sayaka bundled up all her old books and tied them with string.

bundle + object + up + with [material]

The shop assistant bundled up the gifts in brown paper for the customer.

Common collocations
  • bundle up + newspapers
  • bundle up + clothes
  • bundle up + sticks
  • bundle up + herbs
  • bundle something up with string
  • bundle something up in paper
Synonyms
  • tie up

    focuses on the fastening action rather than gathering items together

  • wrap up

    implies covering with paper or material more than tying

  • package

    more formal, often used for commercial shipments

Antonyms
  • unpack

    taking items out of a bundle or container

  • unwrap

    removing the covering from a bundle

Grammar Patterns

bundle + object + up

bundle up + object

Usage Note

The objects of this sense are physical items that can be gathered, tied, or wrapped — newspapers, books, clothes, produce. The material used for tying or wrapping is introduced with 'with' or 'in'.

Common Mistakes

She bundled up the baby and took it outside in the snow.
She bundled up the baby in a warm blanket before going outside.
Putting warm clothes on a person belongs to sense 2 (DRESS WARMLY), not this sense.
He bundled up the documents in his hands.
He bundled up the documents and tied them with a rubber band.
'Bundle up' implies wrapping or tying, not just holding.

2. to put on several layers of warm clothing, or to wrap someone in thick clothes o

2.phrasal verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to put on several layers of warm clothing, or to wrap someone in thick clothes or blankets so they stay comfortable in cold weather.

Example

Before going out in the snow, Mira bundled up in a thick coat and scarf.

intransitive: bundle up + in [clothing]

Every winter morning, Henrik bundles up in layers before cycling to work.

Common collocations
  • bundle up in a coat
  • bundle up in blankets
  • bundle up the children
  • bundle up warmly
  • bundle up before going out
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • strip off

    to remove clothes, opposite of putting on layers

  • uncover

    to remove blankets or covering

Grammar Patterns

bundle + up (intransitive)

bundle + object + up

bundle + up + object

Usage Note

This sense is far more common than sense 1 in everyday conversation. Frequently used as an instruction ('Bundle up!' — said when someone is about to go out in cold weather). The intransitive form (no object) means 'dress yourself warmly'; the transitive form means 'dress someone else warmly or cover them'.

Common Mistakes

She bundled up the gifts in winter clothes.
She bundled up the gifts in wrapping paper.
Gifts are bundled up (sense 1), people are bundled up (sense 2).
I bundled up my suitcase for the trip.
I bundled up my clothes and put them in the suitcase.
Use sense 1 for packing items; 'bundle up' is not a synonym for 'pack a suitcase'.

Word family

Etymology

Middle DutchEnglish

"Bundle up" comes from the noun "bundle" (a collection of things tied together), which entered English from Middle Dutch "bondel" in the 1300s. The phrasal verb first appeared in the 1600s with the sense of tying things into a bundle. By the 1800s, the figurative sense of dressing in many warm layers had developed — the idea being that you are wrapping yourself up like a bundle.

First known use

1809

1809, in the meaning defined at transitive sense