1 C1 idiomatic informal
To behave or present oneself in a more stereotypically masculine way.
"His friends told him to butch up and stop worrying about what other people thought of him."
butch up
C1 informal separable transitive/intransitive
To act or appear more stereotypically masculine; to make something look tougher or more rugged.
In plain English
To act more tough and manly, or to make something look tougher.
What does "butch up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic informal
To make something look tougher, more rugged, or more masculine in design.
"The car designers decided to butch up the new model's front end with a larger grille and wider wheel arches."
separable
Usage tip
Can be used in a critical or ironic way (telling a man to stop being sensitive) or in a practical design sense (making an object look more rugged). In LGBTQ contexts, a butch person adopts more masculine expression; 'butch up' can mean to lean into that style. The term can be considered offensive depending on context.
Words that pair with "butch up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
appearance image design attitude style look
How to conjugate "butch up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
butch up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
butches up
he/she/it
Past simple
butched up
yesterday
Past participle
butched up
have + pp
-ing form
butching up
continuous
Hear "butch up" in the wild
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