bottle up

British  

verb

1. to restrain (powerful emotion)

2. to keep (an army or other force) contained or trapped

   the French fleet was bottled up in Le Havre

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bottle up Idioms  

1. Repress, contain, hold back; also, confine or trap. For example, The psychiatrist said Eve had been bottling up her anger for years, or The accident bottled up traffic for miles. This idiom likens other kinds of restraint to liquid being contained in a bottle. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

So the establishment decided to bottle up the flavours of its "fermentation lab" and "test kitchen".

From Barron's • Nov. 2, 2025

It would create a sweeping system intended to bottle up illegal immigration.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2024

“I want to bottle up what their family taught them,” Close said after Gabriela scored seven points with five rebounds and three steals during UCLA’s second-round win against Oklahoma.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2023

She had a metaphor for this tendency to bottle up emotions.

From New York Times • Mar. 18, 2023

She smiled, raised the Coke to her lips, and tipped the bottle up.

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt

Related Words

• repress
• suppress