1 B2 idiomatic informal
To dress warmly with extra layers, especially to protect the face and neck from cold.
"Make sure you muffle up before going out — it's freezing tonight."
separable
muffle up
B2 informal separable transitive/intransitive
To wrap oneself or someone else warmly, especially around the neck and face, to protect against cold.
In plain English
To cover yourself with warm clothes, especially a scarf around your face and neck, when it's cold.
What does "muffle up" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To muffle (deaden or cover) + up — the image is of smothering cold by wrapping up tightly.
Actually means
To cover yourself with warm clothes, especially a scarf around your face and neck, when it's cold.
Usage tip
Chiefly British English. Suggests wrapping up specifically to muffle the cold, with connotations of covering the ears, nose, and throat. Less common than 'wrap up' or 'bundle up' but understood by most British speakers.
Words that pair with "muffle up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
scarf coat cold winter children neck
How to conjugate "muffle up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
muffle up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
muffles up
he/she/it
Past simple
muffled up
yesterday
Past participle
muffled up
have + pp
-ing form
muffling up
continuous
Hear "muffle up" in the wild
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