big up

present singular third person bigs up · participle present bigging up · participle past bigged up · past bigged up · participle past rare big upped · past rare big upped

1. informaltransitiveTo increase one's muscle mass.

   She was bigged up—had a weight-lifter's rippling arms.

   2007, David Handler, The Bright Silver Star: A Berger and Mitry Mystery

   Synonyms: build up, bulk up, pump iron, work out

2. informalTo become big.

   Relatively simple multicellular forms had already existed for a hundred million years when the Cambrian began: the explosion had a long fuse, and during this earlier fizzling life experimented with various ways to big up.

   2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, page 83

   Synonyms: enlarge

3. slangtransitiveTo behave confidently and proudly.
4. slangtransitiveTo proclaim or exaggerate the importance of; to promote.

   I want to big up my bro on the mic.

   4 more examples

   They're trying to big themselves up to be more than they are.

   In a keynote speech, attended by over 2,000 people, Steve Jobs spent the first 10 minutes bigging up the move to Intel chips.

   2007, Apple announces new mobile phone, BBC Online, 9 January 2007

   Some say of me, "There's Adrian again in the media, bigging himself up.

   2017, Daniel Tammet, Every Word is a Bird We Teach to Sing, →ISBN, page 162

   Bradshaw bigs up local trades: "Agricultural produce, good cider and perry (which require a little brandy to qualify them), wool, hops, and prime cattle, - the last being a splendid breed, white-faced, with soft reddish-brown coats. [...]."

   2022 August 24, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: the Cotswold Line”, in RAIL, number 964, page 61

   Synonyms: overemphasize, overplay, play up, sell, cut it fat, exaggerate, hyperbolize, overcharge

plural big ups

1. slangalso big upsSignificant respect or acclaim.

   I want to give a big up to my bro on the mic.

   Synonyms: props, respect