flesh out

British  

verb

1. (tr) to give substance to (an argument, description, etc)

2. (intr) to expand or become more substantial

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flesh out Idioms  

1. Also, put flesh on the bones of. Give substance to, provide with details, amplify. For example, The editor told her to flesh out the story, or You need to put flesh on the bones of these characters. This metaphoric expression, alluding to clothing a nude body or adding flesh to a skeleton, was in the mid-1600s put simply as to flesh, the adverb out being added about two centuries later.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flesh out

Price increases for all the stuff needed to flesh out AI technology are unlikely to deflate anytime soon.

From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026

The latest tranche of emails released by the Justice Department flesh out the extent to which Epstein was involved in Core’s operations and his dealings with its owner, Jennie Enterprise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026

The meeting will cap off a week of negotiations between U.S. officials and their Asian counterparts as they try to flesh out preliminary trade pacts struck in recent months.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2025

European leaders will be trying to push Trump to flesh out what US security guarantees for Ukraine could look like.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2025

Guarded by Spot, a surly Dalmatian who took hunks of flesh out of reporters who got too close, he stormed around the barn and fretted, pouted and balked in his workouts.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• add to
• appreciate
• augment
• boost
• build up
• complement
• enlarge
• heighten
• increase
• intensify
• raise
• reinforce
• strengthen
• upgrade