Phrasal Verbs with up
- act up
(inseparable) to behave poorly(human);to reoccur(disease);to malfunction(machine)
I think I'll stand rather than sit because my hemorrhoids are acting up again - add up
(inseparable) to result in a certain total
I've calculated that over and over, but it just doesn't add up. - add up to
(inseparable) to result in a total
The money I lost in the slot machines added up to over three hundred dollars. - back up
(separable) to go in reverse
When Steve passed the beautiful girl hitchhiking on the freeway, he immediately stopped the car, backed up, and offered her a ride. - back up
(separable) to help or support
I will back my friends up no matter what they do. - back up
(separable) to make copies of computer files just in case something happens to the original files
Please back up your files before you go home each day. - ball up
(separable) to roll or form something into a round shape
When Max does his laundry, instead of folding everything nicely when it's done, he just balls everything up and throws it in a bag. - beat up
(separable) to hurt someone by hitting and/or kicking them repeatedly
The bully beat the other kids up for their lunch money. - blow up
(separable) to inflate
Al's job was to sell the balloons. Jim's job was to blow them up. - blow up
(separable) to explode or to destroy something with an explosion
Mary was arrested for blowing up Max's car with a homemade bomb. - blow up
(inseparable) to suddenly become angry
The teacher blew up when she discovered that the students hadn't done their homework. - bone up on
(inseparable) to review, study, or practice a subject for a short period of time
I need to bone up on my math as I have a university entrance exam at the end of the month. - break up
(separable) to cause to disperse or scatter
What time did the cops break the party up last night? - break up (with)
(separable) to end a relationship
The Beatles broke up a long time ago. Max broke up with Mary. - bring up
(separable) to mention
When talking to Mary, Max never brings up her criminal record. - bring up
(separable) to raise or rear
Mowgli was a boy brought up by wolves. - brush up on
(inseparable) to practice; to improve your skill or knowledge
Max went back to school to brush up on mathematics. - call up
(separable) to telephone
Mary called the priest up to tell him the wedding was off. - cheer up
(inseparable) to become happier or less miserable
Max cheered up at the end of the night. - cheer up
(separable) to make someone become happier or less miserable
We tried very hard to cheer Mary up, but nothing we did worked. - clean up
(separable) to clean completely
When living with others, it is essential to clean up after yourself. - come up
(inseparable) to be mentioned
In Max's conversation with Mary, the topic of their wedding never came up. - come up
(inseparable) to approach, draw near
Mary came up and introduced herself. - come up with
(inseparable) think of
Max came up with a brilliant idea. - come upon
(inseparable) to meet or discover by accident
Max came upon a twenty-dollar bill while walking down the street. - crank up
(separable) to increase the power or volume
Every time that song comes on the radio, I crank it up. - dig up
(separable) to look for and find hidden things or information
Mary was paid thousands of dollars to dig up some dirt on that promising politician. - draw up
(separable) to prepare
Lee Harvey was happy to have the Soviets draw up the assassination plans. - dream up
(separable) to think of (something new)
The CIA and the KGB were always dreaming up new ways of keeping tabs on each other. - dress up
(separable) to put on formal or very nice clothing
Mary likes to dress her son up to go to church. - drink up
(separable) to finish a drink
Bobby drank his juice up and went to bed. - eat up
(separable) to finish a meal
You must eat up all of your vegetables before you can have cake. - end up
(inseparable) to arrive at a destination or result which may be unplanned or unexpected
Max drank so much last night that he ended up in a strange bed in a strange apartment. - fill up
(separable) to fill completely
You can borrow my car, but please fill up the tank before you return it. - free up
(separable) to make something available (it was previously unavailable)
Getting fired from my job freed up my schedule. Now I can go to the beach anytime I want. - get up
(inseparable) to rise to one's feet or arise from bed; to climb
Mary gets up at sunrise to go jogging every morning. - get up
(separable) to cause to rise
Mary got Max up early this morning so that he could make her breakfast. - give up
(separable) to stop, quit, or abandon
Max gave up smoking ten years ago. - grow up
(inseparable) to change from child to adult
Mary thinks that Max will never grow up. - hang up
(separable) to place something on something (usually a hook or hanger) so that it doesn't touch the ground; to terminate a phone call
Max gets irritated with Mary for not hanging up her clothes after she does the laundry. - hike up
(separable) to pull up or raise (usually clothing)
Max hiked up his pants when he crossed the flooded street. - hike up
(separable) to suddenly raise an amount
Every summer, oil companies hike up gas prices. Once Boxmart has destroyed all of its competition in a certain area, they hike up their prices. - hold up
(separable) to rob using a gun or weapon
Max held up a bank to get money to buy Mary a ring. - hold up
(separable) to delay or obstruct
The traffic jam held us up for three hours. - hurry up
(inseparable) to do faster
Hurry up. We are running late. - hush up
(inseparable) to become quiet
After the teacher screamed at the top of her lungs, the children hushed up. - hush up
(separable) to make someone become quiet
The teacher hushed up the kids. - keep up
(separable) to maintain in good condition; to persist; persevere in
Excellent work! Keep it up. - keep up
(separable) to prevent from going to sleep
The neighbor's barking dog kept me up all night. - keep up
(inseparable) to stay informed
Max reads the newspaper to keep up with current events. - keep up
(inseparable) maintain a required pace or level in competition (often in lifestyle)
Max spent all his money and time trying to keep up with his neighbors. - lift up
(separable) to elevate something
Max could not lift Mary up because she was too heavy. - line up
(inseparable) to stand in a line
The prisoners had to line up before they could enter the dining hall. - line up
(separable) to put in a row
Max likes to line up his dominos and then knock them down. - look up
(separable) to find information in a book or booklike source
Mary decided to look up her ex-boyfriend's phone number - make up
(separable) to invent (a story)
Bill is good at making up stories to get himself out of trouble. - make up for
(inseparable) to compensate for something
Max tried to make up for his mistake. - measure up
(inseparable) to reach a standard or expectation
Mary would not marry Max because she felt he didn't measure up. - mess up
(separable) to make disorganized or messy
Please do not mess up the house. We are having guests over tonight. - open up
(inseparable) to talk openly
Max was the only one that Mary would ever open up to. - perk up
(inseparable) to become more cheerful or lively
The movie perked up a little at the end, but overall, it was pretty dull. - perk up
(separable) to cause to be more cheerful or lively
Tom brought some flowers to Mary in the hospital. He was hoping to perk her up with them. Unfortunately, she is allergic to flowers. - put up
(separable) to raise; erect; build
The construction workers put the buildings up in just a few days. - put up
(separable) to accommodate; provide food a shelter to
The government put the refugees up in temporary housing. - put up with
(inseparable) to tolerate
Max has great difficulty putting up with noisy children. - rack up
(separable) to accumulate in number (score)
You'd better watch where you park. You're racking up the parking tickets. - rip up
(separable) to tear something into pieces
The teacher ripped Max's test up because he caught Max cheating. - save up
(separable) to collect money for future use
Max is saving up for a brand-new car. - screw up
(separable) to make a mistake or do something wrong
Max screwed up his relationship with Mary. - set up
(separable) to start, organize, or configure
Max asked Mary to set up his computer. - show up
(inseparable) to appear or arrive
Max showed up late to the party. - speak up
(inseparable) to speak more loudly
Speak up. I can't hear you. - split up
(separable) to divide
The bank robbers split the money up equally. - stand up
(inseparable) to rise to an erect position
All of the people in the courtroom stood up when the judge entered. - take up
(separable) to pursue; turn one's interest to
Max decided to take up golfing. - take up
(separable) to consume or fill time or space
Homework takes up all of my time. - tangle up
(separable) to twist and mix into a confused mass
Max accidentally tangled the electrical cords up. - throw up
(separable) to vomit
Mary ate so many cookies that she threw up. - turn up
(separable) to increase
Please turn the radio up. I can hardly hear it. - turn up
(inseparable) to appear unexpectedly
He turned up late to the party. - use up
(separable) to use all of
Mary got mad at Max for using all of the toothpaste. - warm up
(separable) To cause something to rise in temperature to a suitable level
Max warmed the leftovers up in the microwave oven. - warm up
(inseparable) to rise in temperature to a suitable level
My office warms up nicely on sunny afternoons. - zip up
(separable) to close with a zipper
Everyone was staring because Max forgot to zip up his pants.