bottle up

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

bottle up verb (tr, adverb)

1. to restrain (powerful emotion)
2. to keep (an army or other force) contained or trapped

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

bot•tle¹ /ˈbɑtəl/   n., v., -tled, -tling. 
n. [countable]

1. a container for holding liquids, having a neck and mouth and made of glass or plastic:
   Bring your empty bottles back to the store.
2. the contents or capacity of such a container: [to drink a whole bottle of wine.]
3. bottled milk formulas or substitutes given to infants instead of mother's milk:
   raised on the bottle.

v. 

4. [~ + object] to put into or seal in a bottle:
   to bottle grape juice.
5. bottle up, [~ + up + object]
   • to hold in, control, or keep back:
     Don't bottle up your anger; let it out.
     [~ + [object + up] [to bottle it up inside.]

Idioms

6. Idioms, Slang Terms hit the bottle, Slang. to drink alcohol to excess:
   He's hitting the bottle again; you can tell from the way he walks.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bot•tle¹  (bot′l), n., v., -tled, -tling. 
n. 

1. a portable container for holding liquids, characteristically having a neck and mouth and made of glass or plastic.
2. the contents of such a container;
   as much as such a container contains:
   a bottle of wine.
3. bottled cow's milk, milk formulas, or substitute mixtures given to infants instead of mother's milk:
   raised on the bottle.
4. hit the bottle, [Slang.] to drink alcohol to excess often or habitually.
5. the bottle, intoxicating beverages;
   liquor:
   He became addicted to the bottle.

v.t. 

6. to put into or seal in a bottle:
   to bottle grape juice.
7. British Terms to preserve (fruit or vegetables) by heating to a sufficient temperature and then sealing in a jar.
8. bottle up:
   • to repress, control, or restrain:
     He kept all of his anger bottled up inside him.
   • to enclose or entrap:
     Traffic was bottled up in the tunnel.

• Medieval Latin butticula, equivalent. to Late Latin butti(s) butt⁴ + -cula -cule¹
• Anglo-French; Old French bo(u)teille
• Middle English botel 1325–75

bot′tle•like′, adj. 

bot•tle²  (bot′l), n. [Archit.]

1. Architecture boltel (def. 2).