# pork up

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/pork-up
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To add spending, especially targeted spending, to legislation in order to get votes for it (see pork-barrel).

## Examples

- The politicians pork up the bill to win more votes.
- The senator decided to pork up the infrastructure bill with local projects to ensure his colleagues would support it.
- By choosing to pork up the legislation with numerous small grants for his home district, the representative successfully secured the necessary support to pass the controversial budget.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.