1 B1 neutral
To polish an object by rubbing it until it becomes shiny.
"He spent the afternoon buffing up his motorbike until he could see his reflection in the fuel tank."
separable
buff up
B1 informal separable transitive/intransitive
To polish something to make it shine, or to develop a noticeably muscular physique.
In plain English
To make something shiny by rubbing it — or to build big muscles at the gym.
What does "buff up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
To develop a muscular and well-defined physique through exercise and training.
"He spent three months at the gym buffing up for the role."
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To improve or refresh one's knowledge or skills in a particular area.
"I need to buff up my Spanish before the trip to Madrid."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To buff (polish) something upward to make it shine.
Actually means
To make something shiny by rubbing it — or to build big muscles at the gym.
Usage tip
The gym/fitness sense is very common in informal speech. The polishing sense is also used. Both senses share the idea of bringing out or improving surface quality — whether of an object or a body.
Words that pair with "buff up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
muscles physique shoes chrome car body
How to conjugate "buff up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
buff up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
buffs up
he/she/it
Past simple
buffed up
yesterday
Past participle
buffed up
have + pp
-ing form
buffing up
continuous
Hear "buff up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "buff up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "buff up"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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