bodybuilding
nounUK /ˈbɒ.diˌbɪl.dɪŋ/ · US /ˈbɑ.diˌbɪl.dɪŋ/
Etymology From body + building.
1
A sport in which the aesthetics of muscular development is the basis for competition.
- Like those activities, bodybuilding is an obsession, a living (for a few), and a way of life for the people involved in it—a subculture, in a word, with its own values, aesthetics and vocabulary.1974, Charles Gaines, George Butler, Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding, page 7:
2
Dated Work done to construct or repair the body of an automobile.
- In my day, if you filled out your shirt, people assumed you played football or wrestled. The term bodybuilding had more to do with cars than lifting weights.2006 — Larry Scott (interview), Iron Man 65(5): 258
- Derived terms
- powerbuilding
- Related terms
- bodybuilder