1 A2 neutral
To close a bottle or container by putting a cork or stopper in the opening.
"Cork up the wine bottle if you're not going to finish it tonight."
separable
cork up
B2 informal separable transitive
To seal something with a cork or stopper; figuratively, to suppress emotions, stop someone speaking, or keep something bottled up inside.
In plain English
To put a cork in a bottle, or to keep your feelings inside instead of expressing them.
What does "cork up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To suppress or hold back emotions, feelings, or opinions instead of expressing them.
"He's been corking up his anxiety for months and it's starting to show."
separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
(Informal) To silence someone or stop them from speaking.
"Cork it up, will you? I'm trying to concentrate."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To put a cork (stopper) into the opening of a bottle.
Actually means
To put a cork in a bottle, or to keep your feelings inside instead of expressing them.
Usage tip
The literal sense (corking a bottle) is transparent and practical. The figurative sense (suppressing emotions or silencing someone) is less common than 'bottle up' and is slightly informal. Can also be used informally to mean 'be quiet.'
Words that pair with "cork up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
bottle feelings emotions wine anger mouth
How to conjugate "cork up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
cork up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
corks up
he/she/it
Past simple
corked up
yesterday
Past participle
corked up
have + pp
-ing form
corking up
continuous
Hear "cork up" in the wild
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Other ways to say "cork up"
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