full up

Meaning

An informal expression used to describe the feeling of being completely full after eating a large amount of food, meaning you cannot eat any more. It is very common in casual spoken English, especially in British, Australian, and conversational contexts. It can also refer to a space or vehicle that has no room left.

Examples

• No more cake for me, thank you, I'm absolutely full up.

  No more cake for me, thank you, I'm absolutely full up.

• After that massive Sunday roast, the whole family was full up.

  After that massive Sunday roast, the whole family was full up.

• I can't believe you're still hungry; I'm completely full up.

  I can't believe you're still hungry; I'm completely full up.

• We had a huge breakfast, so we were still full up by lunchtime.

  We had a huge breakfast, so we were still full up by lunchtime.

• I'm full up, but I might be able to squeeze in a tiny bit of dessert.

  I'm full up, but I might be able to squeeze in a tiny bit of dessert.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I am very full of food.

  ✓ I am full up.

  While grammatically possible, 'full of food' sounds unnatural in casual conversation compared to 'full up' or simply 'full'.

• ✗ The bus was full up of people.

  ✓ The bus was full of people.

  Do not use 'of' directly after 'full up'. Use 'full of [noun]' or just 'full up' on its own.

Related Expressions

Practice

• I can't eat another bite of this pizza; I'm completely ___.

  💡 Completely satisfied and unable to eat more.

  Show answer

  full up

• Are you ___ already? You barely touched your dinner!

  💡 Having a full stomach.

  Show answer

  full up