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bottle down

C1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

To keep your feelings hidden inside yourself and not show them.

Literal meaning: To push something down into a bottle — sealing it below the surface so it cannot escape.

Meanings

1 C1 idiomatic neutral

To suppress emotions or feelings, keeping them hidden inside rather than expressing them.

"He tried to bottle down his anxiety before the performance, but it showed on his face."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Rare and not widely established as a standard phrasal verb. Where it does appear, it is used similarly to 'bottle up' — suppressing emotions or containing something within a bottle-like seal. 'Bottle up' is strongly preferred in everyday usage. Learners should use 'bottle up' instead.

Commonly used with

feelings emotions anger grief frustration

Forms

Base
bottle down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bottles down
he/she/it
Past simple
bottled down
yesterday
Past participle
bottled down
have + pp
-ing form
bottling down
continuous

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