Reading Theme:
Fill Up the Tank: Meaning, Examples & Usage Guide (2 meaning)
Meaning 1：refuel completely (fill up the tank)
fill up the tank
/fɪl ʌp ðə tæŋk/
v. phr.
To put fuel into a vehicle's tank until it is completely full.
refuel completely
➕
/riːˈfjuːəl kəmˈpliːtli/
v. phr.
To put enough fuel into a vehicle's tank so that it is full.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Root Explanation
Combines 'fill' (make full), 'up' (completion), and 'tank' (fuel container).
💡 Mnemonic
Picture a gas tank filling to the brim; your stomach is your body's tank.
📖 Example
We need to fill up the tank before starting our long road trip to the mountains.
We need to completely fill our car's gas tank before the long journey to the mountains.
🔗 Collocations
fill up the tank with gasoline – to put gasoline into the tank until full
fill up the tank at a station – to refuel the vehicle at a gas station
fill the tank to the top – to fill until no more fuel can be added
🔄 Synonyms
🚫 Antonyms
empty the tank (v. phr.) – to remove all fuel from the tank
run out of gas (v. phr.) – to have no fuel left in the tank
🌱 Derivatives
fill-up (n.) – the act or amount of filling a tank
📖 Cultural Story
Originates from early 20th-century automobile culture, where 'filling the tank' meant routine refueling. Its metaphorical use for eating to fullness became common in mid-1900s American slang.
Meaning 2：eat to fullness (fill up the tank)
fill up the tank
/fɪl ʌp ðə tæŋk/
v. phr.
(Informal) To eat enough food so that you feel full and satisfied.
eat to fullness
➕
/iːt tə ˈfʊlnəs/
v. phr.
To eat a large amount of food until one feels completely satisfied or full.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Example
After hiking all morning, we were starving and ready to fill up the tank at the all-you-can-eat buffet.
After hiking all morning, we were very hungry and ate until we were full at the buffet.
🔗 Collocations
fill up the tank with food – to eat a lot of food until full
fill up the tank at a restaurant – to eat a large meal at a restaurant
fill your tank before exercise – to eat enough food before physical activity
🔄 Synonyms
eat one's fill (v. phr.) – to eat as much as one wants
gorge (v.) – to eat greedily or to excess
stuff oneself (v. phr.) – to eat a large quantity of food
🚫 Antonyms
starve (v.) – to suffer or die from lack of food
skip a meal (v. phr.) – to not eat a meal
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