Phrasal verbs combine a verb with a preposition or adverb to create expressions with meanings that often differ significantly from the original verb alone. “Up” is one of the most common particles used in English phrasal verbs, adding nuances related to completion, improvement, or increased intensity.
This guide provides 100 phrasal verbs with “up,” complete with clear definitions and practical example sentences.
1-10: Increasing and improving
Build up
To increase gradually; to develop strength or confidence.
“She’s been building up her savings for years.”
“The team needs to build up its defensive skills.”
Brush up
To refresh or improve knowledge or skills.
“I need to brush up on my Spanish before the trip.”
“She brushed up her presentation skills before the conference.”
Beef up
To strengthen or enhance something.
“The company beefed up security after the breach.”
“We need to beef up this section of the report.”
Brighten up
To make more cheerful or light.
“Fresh flowers really brighten up the room.”
“The news brightened up her day.”
Catch up
To reach the same level or position as others.
“I missed a week of class and need to catch up.”
“Let’s meet for coffee and catch up soon.”
Cheer up
To become or make someone happier.
“The surprise party really cheered her up.”
“Cheer up! Things will get better.”
Clean up
To make clean and tidy.
“We spent hours cleaning up after the party.”
“Please clean up your room before guests arrive.”
Fix up
To repair or renovate.
“They fixed up the old house before selling it.”
“He fixed up his car with new parts.”
Freshen up
To restore freshness; to wash or tidy oneself.
“Let me freshen up before dinner.”
“We freshened up the living room with new paint.”
Jazz up
To make more exciting or lively.
“She jazzed up the presentation with colorful graphics.”
“Adding spices jazzed up the basic recipe.”
11-20: Starting and creation
Bring up
To raise a topic; to raise children.
“I don’t want to bring up politics at dinner.”
“She was brought up in a small town.”
Come up
To arise or be mentioned; to approach.
“A good opportunity came up at work.”
“The topic came up during our meeting.”
Cook up
To invent or create, often something dishonest.
“He cooked up an elaborate excuse for being late.”
“They cooked up a plan to surprise the manager.”
Dream up
To imagine or invent.
“The marketing team dreamed up a brilliant campaign.”
“I can’t believe you dreamed up such a creative solution.”
Drum up
To create interest or support.
“We need to drum up more business.”
“They drummed up enthusiasm for the project.”
Make up
To invent; to reconcile; to apply cosmetics.
“The child made up an imaginary friend.”
“Let’s make up after our argument.”
“She was making up her face for the party.”
Set up
To establish or arrange; to prepare equipment.
“We set up a meeting for next week.”
“They set up the new computer system yesterday.”
Stir up
To create trouble or excitement; to agitate.
“His comments stirred up controversy.”
“Don’t stir up trouble between those two.”
Think up
To create an idea or plan.
“She thought up a clever solution to the problem.”
“We need to think up new activities for the event.”
Whip up
To prepare quickly; to create excitement.
“I’ll whip up something for dinner.”
“The speaker whipped up enthusiasm in the crowd.”
21-30: Completion and finishing
Wrap up
To finish or complete.
“Let’s wrap up this meeting in five minutes.”
“She wrapped up her project ahead of schedule.”
Use up
To consume entirely.
“We used up all the milk this morning.”
“The printer has used up all the ink.”
Sum up
To summarize or state briefly.
“To sum up, we need to increase sales and reduce costs.”
“The judge summed up the case for the jury.”
Finish up
To complete or conclude.
“I’ll finish up these emails before lunch.”
“Are you finished up with the bathroom?”
Eat up
To consume all food; to believe completely.
“Eat up your vegetables.”
“The audience ate up every word of his speech.”
Drink up
To finish a beverage completely.
“Drink up, we need to leave soon.”
“Everyone drank up their champagne for the toast.”
Clear up
To resolve confusion; to become clear; to tidy.
“Let me clear up this misunderstanding.”
“The weather should clear up by afternoon.”
“We cleared up the kitchen after dinner.”
Burn up
To consume by fire; to use energy.
“The old letters burned up in the fire.”
“Running burns up a lot of calories.”
Dry up
To become completely dry; to stop talking.
“The puddles dried up in the hot sun.”
“He dried up in the middle of his speech.”
Wind up
To conclude; to find oneself in a situation.
“The party wound up at midnight.”
“She wound up taking the job despite her initial reluctance.”
31-40: Movement and position
Get up
To rise from bed or a seated position.
“I get up at 6 AM every day.”
“He got up to answer the door.”
Stand up
To rise to a standing position; to defend.
“Everyone stood up when the judge entered.”
“You need to stand up for your rights.”
Line up
To arrange in a line; to organize.
“The children lined up outside the classroom.”
“We’ve lined up several candidates for the position.”
Pull up
To move to a stop; to improve position.
“A taxi pulled up outside the hotel.”
“She pulled up her grades this semester.”
Show up
To arrive or appear.
“He didn’t show up for the meeting.”
“Unexpected problems showed up during testing.”
Stack up
To pile or arrange in stacks; to compare.
“We stacked up the boxes in the corner.”
“How does our offer stack up against the competition?”
Walk up
To approach on foot.
“A stranger walked up and asked for directions.”
“We walked up the stairs to the fourth floor.”
Roll up
To arrive in a vehicle; to curl into a cylindrical shape.
“They rolled up in a brand new car.”
“Roll up your sleeves before washing dishes.”
Climb up
To ascend.
“We climbed up the mountain in three hours.”
“The cat climbed up the tree and couldn’t get down.”
Turn up
To appear unexpectedly; to increase volume/intensity.
“She turned up at the party without an invitation.”
“Can you turn up the music a bit?”
41-50: Preparing and organization
Back up
To support or make a copy of data.
“My colleague backed up my proposal at the meeting.”
“Always back up your important files.”
Draw up
To prepare a document.
“The lawyer drew up the contract.”
“We need to draw up a detailed plan.”
Follow up
To pursue further action.
“I’ll follow up with an email after our call.”
“The doctor will follow up in two weeks.”
Gather up
To collect or assemble.
“She gathered up her belongings and left.”
“Let’s gather up the team for a meeting.”
Measure up
To meet expectations or standards.
“The new employee doesn’t measure up to our requirements.”
“Will this plan measure up to our needs?”
Save up
To accumulate money or resources.
“They’re saving up for a house.”
“I saved up my vacation days for a long trip.”
Stock up
To accumulate supplies.
“We stocked up on food before the storm.”
“It’s a good idea to stock up on these items while they’re on sale.”
Tidy up
To make neat and orderly.
“Let’s tidy up before the guests arrive.”
“She quickly tidied up her desk.”
Write up
To compose a report or document.
“The police officer wrote up a detailed account of the incident.”
“I need to write up the results of the experiment.”
Size up
To evaluate or assess.
“The manager sized up the new recruit.”
“She quickly sized up the situation.”
51-60: Disruption and problems
Break up
To end a relationship; to separate into pieces.
“They broke up after dating for three years.”
“The ice began to break up in the spring.”
Blow up
To explode; to suddenly become angry.
“The bomb blew up near the abandoned building.”
“He blew up when he heard the news.”
Clog up
To become obstructed.
“The drain clogged up with hair.”
“Traffic clogs up during rush hour.”
Mess up
To make a mistake; to create disorder.
“I messed up on the final question.”
“The children messed up the living room.”
Mix up
To confuse or blend incorrectly.
“She mixed up the meeting dates.”
“Don’t mix up these chemicals.”
Screw up (informal)
To make a serious mistake.
“I really screwed up this time.”
“Don’t screw up your one chance to impress them.”
Slip up
To make a minor mistake.
“Everyone slips up occasionally.”
“She slipped up and revealed the surprise.”
Stir up
To cause trouble or controversy.
“His comments stirred up a heated debate.”
“She’s always stirring up trouble.”
Trip up
To make a mistake; to cause someone to make a mistake.
“The difficult question tripped me up.”
“The prosecutor tried to trip up the witness.”
Hold up
To delay; to rob.
“Construction has held up traffic for hours.”
“The bank was held up by armed robbers.”
61-70: Communication and relationships
Bring up
To mention a topic; to raise children.
“I didn’t want to bring up the sensitive issue.”
“She was brought up by her grandparents.”
Call up
To telephone; to summon memories.
“I’ll call you up tonight.”
“The song called up memories of my childhood.”
Chat up (British English)
To talk flirtatiously.
“He was chatting up the bartender all evening.”
“She’s not interested in being chatted up.”
Cheer up
To become happier; to make someone happier.
“This movie always cheers me up.”
“Try to cheer up! Things will improve.”
Hook up
To connect; to meet (often with romantic implications).
“We need to hook up the printer to the network.”
“They hooked up at the party last night.”
Keep up
To maintain pace or standards; to stay informed.
“I can’t keep up with all the new technology.”
“They’re struggling to keep up with demand.”
Look up
To search for information; to improve.
“Look up the word in the dictionary.”
“Business is looking up this quarter.”
Make up
To reconcile; to invent.
“They made up after their argument.”
“Don’t make up excuses.”
Open up
To become more communicative; to reveal.
“He finally opened up about his feelings.”
“The experience opened up new possibilities.”
Team up
To join forces or collaborate.
“We teamed up with another company for the project.”
“The two researchers teamed up to publish a paper.”
71-80: Change and transformation
Grow up
To mature; to develop to adulthood.
“She grew up in a small coastal town.”
“It’s time for you to grow up and take responsibility.”
Heat up
To make or become warmer; to intensify.
“Heat up the leftovers in the microwave.”
“The competition is really heating up.”
Liven up
To make more exciting or entertaining.
“Adding music livened up the party.”
“This presentation needs to be livened up.”
Power up
To supply with electrical power; to energize.
“Power up the generator during the outage.”
“She powered up with a protein shake before her workout.”
Shape up
To improve behavior or performance.
“The manager told the employee to shape up or risk being fired.”
“The team is finally shaping up after weeks of practice.”
Spice up
To make more interesting or exciting.
“Add some chili to spice up the dish.”
“We need to spice up this boring presentation.”
Spruce up
To make neater or more attractive.
“They spruced up the house before putting it on the market.”
“A new haircut really spruced him up.”
Tense up
To become anxious or nervous.
“She tensed up before the job interview.”
“Try not to tense up during the exam.”
Warm up
To prepare for physical activity; to become friendly.
“Athletes warm up before competing.”
“The audience warmed up to the speaker as the talk progressed.”
Work up
To develop gradually; to become emotionally affected.
“He worked up the courage to ask her out.”
“Don’t work yourself up over minor problems.”
81-90: Intensification and emphasis
Beat up
To physically attack and injure; to be in bad condition.
“He was beaten up by a gang of thugs.”
“The old car looks really beaten up.”
Bulk up
To increase in size, especially muscle.
“The actor bulked up for his role as a superhero.”
“She’s been bulking up with protein shakes and weight training.”
Crack up
To laugh uncontrollably; to have a breakdown.
“The audience cracked up at his jokes.”
“He cracked up under the pressure of the job.”
Fire up
To excite or inspire; to start an engine.
“The coach fired up the team with her speech.”
“He fired up the grill for the barbecue.”
Pump up
To inflate; to increase enthusiasm.
“Don’t forget to pump up your bicycle tires.”
“The music pumped up the crowd before the game.”
Rev up
To increase speed or intensity.
“He revved up the engine.”
“The campaign is revving up for the final push.”
Speed up
To accelerate or increase pace.
“We need to speed up production to meet the deadline.”
“The car sped up on the highway.”
Step up
To increase effort; to volunteer.
“It’s time to step up our marketing campaign.”
“Someone needs to step up and take responsibility.”
Turn up
To increase volume or temperature; to arrive.
“Turn up the heat, it’s freezing in here.”
“She turned up late to the meeting.”
Amp up
To increase energy or excitement.
“The band really amped up the crowd.”
“We need to amp up our efforts to meet the deadline.”
91-100: Miscellaneous
Add up
To calculate a sum; to make sense.
“Let me add up these figures quickly.”
“The facts just don’t add up.”
Catch up
To reach the same point as others; to update.
“She ran faster to catch up with the group.”
“Let’s meet for coffee and catch up.”
Come up
To arise or be mentioned; to approach.
“An interesting opportunity came up at work.”
“His name came up during the meeting.”
End up
To finally reach a state or place.
“We ended up staying much later than planned.”
“Where did you end up after college?”
Give up
To surrender; to quit trying.
“Don’t give up on your dreams.”
“She gave up smoking last year.”
Hang up
To end a phone call; to suspend.
“He hung up without saying goodbye.”
“Please hang up your coat on the rack.”
Look up
To search for information; to improve.
“Look up the address in the directory.”
“Things are finally looking up for the company.”
Sign up
To register or enroll.
“I signed up for a cooking class.”
“Have you signed up for the newsletter?”
Take up
To begin a hobby; to occupy space.
“She took up painting after retirement.”
“This sofa takes up too much room.”
Wake up
To stop sleeping; to become aware.
“I wake up at 7 AM every morning.”
“The crisis woke up management to the problems.”
Phrasal verbs with “up” are some of the most common in English, and mastering them will significantly improve your fluency. They often convey meanings related to completion, improvement, or increased intensity. Remember that context is crucial for understanding the exact meaning of each phrasal verb, as many have multiple definitions depending on the situation. Practice using these expressions in your daily conversations and writing to make them a natural part of your English communication skills.
