Synonyms

bodybuilding

American

[bod-ee-bil-ding] / ˈbɒd iˌbɪl dɪŋ /

Or body-building,

noun

the act or practice of exercising, lifting weights, etc., so as to develop the muscles of the body.

Etymology

Origin of bodybuilding

1900–05; from the verb phrase build ( up one's ) body; -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He gave Schwarzenegger some advice after the competition and invited him to take part in a bodybuilding show in Belfast.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Last week, the government named senior government official Rumen Spetsov, who was the National Revenue Agency director and is also a former bodybuilding champion, to take control of the refinery.

From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025

Eighteen months ago, Roya decided to leave her nursing career and enter the world of bodybuilding professionally.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

Writers of the project previously told The Times they wanted “Pump” to be a love letter to Venice Beach in the early 1970s and the birth of the modern bodybuilding culture.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2025

The logo was a cartoon of this giant bodybuilding bulldog wearing wraparound sunglasses and smoking a cigar and flexing his muscles.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023