Phrases with Up With Meaning & Examples

The word “up” is one of the most useful words in English. It can appear in everyday phrases, phrasal verbs, idioms, and fixed expressions. Depending on the context, “up” can suggest movement, increase, completion, preparation, improvement, or even a problem.

What Does “Up” Mean in English?

“Up” commonly works as an adverb, preposition, adjective, or part of a phrasal verb. Its meaning changes according to the words around it.

For example:

Stand up=rise to your feet
Wake up=stop sleeping
Give up=stop trying
Look up=search for information
Speed up=become faster
Clean up=make something clean
Set up=arrange or establish something

Therefore, it is useful to learn these expressions as complete phrases rather than trying to understand “up” separately every time.

Common Phrases With “Up”

Here are some of the most frequently used phrases containing “up.”

Wake up

Meaning: To stop sleeping.

“I wake up at 6:30 every morning.”

Get up

Meaning: To rise from a bed or sitting position.

“Please get up and get ready for school.”

Stand up

Meaning: To rise to your feet.

“Everyone stood up when the judge entered the courtroom.”

Sit up

Meaning: To move into an upright sitting position.

“She sat up when she heard the noise.”

Hurry up

Meaning: To do something more quickly.

“Hurry up or we will miss the bus.”

Give up

Meaning: To stop trying or surrender.

“Never give up on your dreams.”

Grow up

Meaning: To become an adult.

“He grew up in a small village.”

Clean up

Meaning: To make a place clean and organized.

“We need to clean up the kitchen.”

Pick up

Meaning: To lift something or collect someone/something.

“I will pick up the documents from the office.”

Put up

Meaning: To place something in a higher position or erect something.

“They put up a new sign outside the building.”

Look up

Meaning: To search for information.

“I looked up the meaning of the word online.”

Look up to

Meaning: To admire or respect someone.

“Many young players look up to their coach.”

Make up

Meaning: To invent something or become friendly again after an argument.

“She made up an excuse for being late.”

Set up

Meaning: To arrange, establish, or prepare something.

“They set up a new business last year.”

Turn up

Meaning: To arrive or appear.

“He turned up late for the meeting.”

Show up

Meaning: To arrive or appear.

“She did not show up for the interview.”

Bring up

Meaning: To mention a subject or raise a child.

“He brought up an important issue during the meeting.”

Take up

Meaning: To begin an activity or occupy space/time.

“She took up swimming last year.”

Use up

Meaning: To consume all of something.

“We have used up all the milk.”

Eat up

Meaning: To eat all of something.

“Eat up your dinner before it gets cold.”

More Useful Phrases With “Up”

Drink up

Meaning: Drink all of something.

“Drink up your juice before we leave.”

Blow up

Meaning: To explode or become very angry.

“The balloon blew up suddenly.”

Break up

Meaning: To end a relationship or separate into pieces.

“They decided to break up after several disagreements.”

Call up

Meaning: To telephone someone.

“I will call you up tonight.”

Cheer up

Meaning: To become happier or make someone happier.

“This good news will cheer her up.”

Dress up

Meaning: To wear formal or special clothes.

“We dressed up for the wedding.”

End up

Meaning: To finally be in a particular situation or place.

“We ended up staying at home.”

Fill up

Meaning: To make something full.

“Please fill up the water bottle.”

Fix up

Meaning: To repair or improve something.

“They fixed up the old house.”

Give up on

Meaning: To stop believing in or supporting someone or something.

“Don’t give up on your goals.”

Hold up

Meaning: To delay or support something physically.

“Traffic held us up for an hour.”

Keep up

Meaning: To continue at the same speed or level.

“Try to keep up with the group.”

Keep up with

Meaning: To remain informed or at the same level as someone or something.

“I cannot keep up with all the latest news.”

Let up

Meaning: To become less intense.

“The rain finally let up.”

Live up to

Meaning: To meet expectations or a standard.

“The movie did not live up to my expectations.”

Open up

Meaning: To become more willing to talk or reveal feelings.

“He slowly opened up about his problems.”

Pay up

Meaning: To pay money that is owed.

“The customer was asked to pay up immediately.”

Point out

Meaning: To draw attention to something.

“She pointed out a mistake in the report.”

Run up

Meaning: To accumulate a bill, debt, or expense.

“He ran up a large credit-card bill.”

Save up

Meaning: To gradually save money for a particular purpose.

“I am saving up for a new laptop.”

Speak up

Meaning: To speak more loudly or express an opinion.

“Please speak up; I cannot hear you.”

Speed up

Meaning: To become faster or make something faster.

“We need to speed up the process.”

Stay up

Meaning: To remain awake.

“I stayed up late to finish my work.”

Take up space

Meaning: To occupy an area.

“This old furniture takes up too much space.”

Tear up

Meaning: To rip something into pieces.

“He tore up the old letter.”

Think up

Meaning: To create or invent an idea.

“She thought up a clever solution.”

Try on

Meaning: To put on clothes to see whether they fit.

“Can I try on this jacket?”

Use up

Meaning: To finish the available supply.

“We used up all the paper.”

Warm up

Meaning: To prepare the body for exercise or make something warmer.

“Always warm up before exercising.”

Work up

Meaning: To gradually develop a feeling or condition.

“He worked up the courage to speak.”

100 Phrases With “Up” Along With Meaning

The following list brings together 100 useful phrases with “up” for everyday English.

100 phrases with “up” and their meanings
#	Phrase	Meaning
1	Wake up	Stop sleeping
2	Get up	Rise from bed or a seat
3	Stand up	Rise to your feet
4	Sit up	Move into an upright position
5	Hurry up	Do something faster
6	Give up	Stop trying
7	Grow up	Become an adult
8	Clean up	Make something clean
9	Pick up	Lift or collect
10	Put up	Place or erect
11	Look up	Search for information
12	Look up to	Admire someone
13	Make up	Invent or reconcile
14	Set up	Arrange or establish
15	Turn up	Arrive or appear
16	Show up	Arrive or appear
17	Bring up	Mention or raise
18	Take up	Begin or occupy
19	Use up	Consume completely
20	Eat up	Eat completely
21	Drink up	Drink completely
22	Blow up	Explode or become angry
23	Break up	Separate or end a relationship
24	Call up	Telephone
25	Cheer up	Become or make happier
26	Dress up	Wear special clothes
27	End up	Finally reach a situation
28	Fill up	Make full
29	Fix up	Repair or improve
30	Give up on	Stop supporting or believing in
31	Hold up	Delay or support
32	Keep up	Maintain the same pace
33	Keep up with	Remain at the same level
34	Let up	Become less intense
35	Live up to	Meet expectations
36	Open up	Become willing to talk
37	Pay up	Pay money owed
38	Point out	Draw attention to
39	Run up	Accumulate a bill
40	Save up	Save gradually
41	Speak up	Speak louder or express an opinion
42	Speed up	Become faster
43	Stay up	Remain awake
44	Take up space	Occupy an area
45	Tear up	Rip into pieces
46	Think up	Invent an idea
47	Try on	Test clothing by wearing it
48	Use up	Finish a supply
49	Warm up	Prepare for activity
50	Work up	Gradually develop
51	Back up	Support or make a copy
52	Build up	Increase gradually
53	Catch up	Reach the same level
54	Check up on	Examine or investigate
55	Come up	Appear or arise
56	Come up with	Produce an idea
57	Cut up	Cut into pieces
58	Do up	Fasten or decorate
59	Drop off	Deliver or leave someone/something
60	Dry up	Become completely dry
61	Face up to	Accept a difficult reality
62	Follow up	Take further action
63	Get up to	Do something, often secretly
64	Go up	Increase or rise
65	Hang up	End a phone call or suspend
66	Hold up	Delay or obstruct
67	Join up	Become a member
68	Line up	Arrange in a row
69	Mix up	Confuse things or people
70	Move up	Advance to a higher position
71	Own up	Admit responsibility
72	Pair up	Form a pair
73	Pull up	Stop a vehicle
74	Push up	Increase or raise
75	Read up on	Study a subject
76	Ring up	Telephone
77	Rise up	Stand or rebel
78	Roll up	Make something into a roll
79	Shake up	Disturb or reorganize
80	Sign up	Register
81	Soak up	Absorb
82	Split up	Separate
83	Stack up	Arrange in a pile
84	Step up	Increase effort or action
85	Sum up	Give a brief conclusion
86	Switch up	Change or vary
87	Team up	Work together
88	Throw up	Vomit
89	Tidy up	Make neat
90	Use up	Consume completely
91	Wash up	Wash yourself or dishes
92	Wind up	Finish or end
93	Write up	Prepare a written report
94	Cover up	Hide something
95	Dream up	Invent or imagine
96	Dress up as	Wear clothes to look like someone/something
97	Back someone up	Support someone
98	Bring someone up	Raise a child
99	Make up for	Compensate for something
100	Put up with	Tolerate something

Phrases With “Up” and Example Sentences

Phrases with “up” and example sentences
Phrase	Example Sentence
Back up	Please back up your important files.
Build up	The pressure began to build up.
Catch up	I need to catch up on my work.
Check up on	The manager checked up on the new employee.
Come up	An unexpected problem came up.
Come up with	She came up with a brilliant idea.
Cut up	He cut up the vegetables.
Dry up	The river may dry up during summer.
Face up to	We must face up to the problem.
Follow up	I will follow up with the client tomorrow.
Go up	Food prices continue to go up.
Hang up	She hung up the phone.
Line up	The students lined up outside the room.
Mix up	I mixed up the two files.
Move up	He moved up to a senior position.
Own up	He finally owned up to his mistake.
Pair up	The teacher asked students to pair up.
Pull up	The car pulled up outside the house.
Read up on	I read up on the subject before the meeting.
Shake up	The new policy shook up the organization.
Sign up	I signed up for an English course.
Soak up	Plants soak up water through their roots.
Step up	The company needs to step up its efforts.
Sum up	Let me sum up the main points.
Team up	The two companies teamed up on the project.
Tidy up	Please tidy up your room.
Wind up	The meeting wound up at noon.
Write up	The reporter wrote up the story.
Cover up	They tried to cover up the mistake.
Put up with	I cannot put up with this noise anymore.

Quick Challenge #1: Choose the Correct Phrase

Choose the best phrase to complete each sentence.

Please ______; we are already late.

A. hurry up
B. give up
C. tear up

I need to ______ the meaning of this word.

A. bring up
B. look up
C. blow up

She ______ a great idea during the meeting.

A. came up with
B. stayed up
C. washed up

Don’t ______ your dreams.

A. fill up
B. give up
C. line up

We need to ______ the office before the guests arrive.

A. clean up
B. throw up
C. grow up

Answers: 1-A, 2-B, 3-A, 4-B, 5-A

Phrases With “Up” for Daily Conversation

Many phrases with “up” are particularly common in spoken English.

What’s up?

Meaning: A casual way to ask what is happening or how someone is doing.

“Hey, what’s up?”

Cheer up!

Meaning: Become happier or encourage someone to become happier.

“Cheer up! Everything will be fine.”

Hold up!

Meaning: Wait or stop.

“Hold up! I forgot my phone.”

Speak up!

Meaning: Speak louder.

“Could you speak up, please?”

Hurry up!

Meaning: Move or act faster.

“Hurry up! The train is leaving.”

Wake up!

Meaning: Stop sleeping; it can also mean becoming aware of something.

“Wake up! We have to leave now.”

Come up!

Meaning: Move toward a higher place or arise in conversation.

“A new issue came up during the discussion.”

Heads up!

Meaning: A warning or advance notice.

“Heads up! The road is closed ahead.”

Quick Challenge #2: Match the Phrases

Match each phrase with its meaning.

Match each phrase with its meaning
Phrase	Meaning
1. Give up	A. Search for information
2. Look up	B. Stop trying
3. Cheer up	C. Become happier
4. Save up	D. Gradually save money
5. Speak up	E. Speak louder

Answers: 1-B, 2-A, 3-C, 4-D, 5-E

“Up” Phrases for Work and Business English

The word “up” is also common in professional communication.

Set up a meeting

Meaning: Arrange a meeting.

“I will set up a meeting with the legal team.”

Follow up

Meaning: Take additional action after an earlier conversation or event.

“I will follow up with you next week.”

Bring up an issue

Meaning: Mention an issue for discussion.

“She brought up an important issue during the meeting.”

Point out a problem

Meaning: Draw attention to a problem.

“The auditor pointed out several errors.”

Come up with a solution

Meaning: Develop an idea or solution.

“The team came up with a practical solution.”

Draw up

Meaning: Prepare a formal document.

“The lawyers drew up the agreement.”

Write up

Meaning: Prepare something in written form.

“Please write up the meeting notes.”

Sum up

Meaning: Give a brief summary.

“Let me sum up the main findings.”

Step up

Meaning: Increase effort or action.

“The company needs to step up its customer service.”

Back up

Meaning: Support a person or claim.

“The documents back up his statement.”

Quick Challenge #3: Complete the Sentences

Use an appropriate phrase containing “up.”

Please ______ a meeting for Monday.
I will ______ with the customer tomorrow.
The lawyer ______ the agreement yesterday.
She ______ an important concern during the discussion.
Can you ______ the main points of the report?

Answers:

set up
follow up
drew up
brought up
sum up

Common “Up” Phrases for Personal Development

Some expressions with “up” are useful when talking about learning, growth, and personal improvement.

Grow up—become an adult.
Build up confidence—gradually develop confidence.
Work up the courage—gradually become brave enough to do something.
Keep up—maintain a particular level.
Catch up—reach the same level.
Step up—increase effort.
Speak up—express your opinion.
Open up—become more willing to share thoughts or feelings.
Read up on—study a subject.
Brush up on—improve an existing skill.

Examples

“I need to brush up on my English grammar.”
“She worked up the courage to speak in public.”
“You should speak up if you disagree with the decision.”
“He is trying to build up his confidence.”
“I need to catch up on my reading.”

Common “Up” Phrases That Students Often Confuse

Pick up vs. Take up

Pick up can mean collect or lift something.

“I picked up the book from the floor.”

Take up can mean begin an activity.

“She took up tennis last year.”

Look up vs. Look up to

Look up = search for information.

“Look up the word in a dictionary.”

Look up to = admire someone.

“I look up to my teacher.”

Give up vs. Give up on

Give up = stop trying.

“Don’t give up.”

Give up on = stop believing in or supporting someone/something.

“Don’t give up on your friend.”

Bring up vs. Bring someone up

Bring up a subject = mention a subject.

“He brought up the issue during the meeting.”

Bring up a child = raise a child.

“She brought up three children.”

Make up vs. Make up for

Make up can mean invent or reconcile.

“He made up an excuse.”

Make up for = compensate for something.

“I worked late to make up for lost time.”

Practice Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Complete each sentence using the correct phrase with “up.”

1. Please ______ your room before your friends arrive.
2. I need to ______ the meaning of this word in the dictionary.
3. She decided to ______ swimming last summer.
4. Don’t ______ when things become difficult.
5. We have ______ all the milk.
6. He ______ a brilliant idea during the meeting.
7. Please ______; I cannot hear you.
8. They had to ______ the meeting because of bad weather.
9. I am trying to ______ with my classmates.
10. She finally ______ to her mistake.

Answers:

tidy up
look up
take up
give up
used up
came up with
speak up
call off (Note: this does not contain “up”; if restricting the exercise strictly to “up” phrases, use wind up instead.)
keep up
owned up

Practice Exercise 2: Choose the Correct Phrase

Choose the correct answer.

“Put up with” means:

A. To build something
B. To tolerate something
C. To increase something

If you “wake up,” you:

A. Start sleeping
B. Stop sleeping
C. Go outside

“Save up” means:

A. Spend all your money
B. Gradually save money
C. Borrow money

If someone “shows up,” they:

A. Arrive or appear
B. Leave immediately
C. Become angry

“Brush up on” means:

A. Clean something
B. Improve a skill or knowledge
C. Give something away

“Break up” can mean:

A. Start a relationship
B. End a relationship
C. Repair something

“Point out” means:

A. Draw attention to something
B. Hide something
C. Remove something

“Cheer up” means:

A. Become happier
B. Become tired
C. Become confused

“Set up” can mean:

A. Establish or arrange something
B. Destroy something
C. Forget something

“Catch up” means:

A. Fall behind
B. Reach the same level
C. Stop working

Answers:

B — To tolerate something
B — Stop sleeping
B — Gradually save money
A — Arrive or appear
B — Improve a skill or knowledge
B — End a relationship
A — Draw attention to something
A — Become happier
A — Establish or arrange something
B — Reach the same level

Practice Exercise 3: Rewrite the Sentences

Replace the words in bold with a suitable phrase containing “up.”

1. Please make your room tidy.
2. I need to search for this information.
3. He stopped trying after several failures.
4. She mentioned an important issue during the meeting.
5. They established a new business last year.
6. I need to remain at the same level as my classmates.
7. He admitted responsibility for the mistake.
8. We need to increase our efforts.
9. She gradually saved money to buy a car.
10. I cannot tolerate this behavior anymore.

Answers:

Please tidy up your room.
I need to look up this information.
He gave up after several failures.
She brought up an important issue during the meeting.
They set up a new business last year.
I need to keep up with my classmates.
He owned up to the mistake.
We need to step up our efforts.
She saved up to buy a car.
I cannot put up with this behavior anymore.

Frequently Asked Questions About Phrases With “Up”

What are phrases with “up”?

Phrases with “up” are expressions in which “up” forms part of a phrasal verb, idiom, or fixed expression. Examples include wake up, give up, look up, set up, and put up with.

What is the most common phrase with “up”?

There is no single phrase that is universally the most common, but expressions such as wake up, get up, give up, pick up, look up, and set up are extremely common in everyday English.