Phrasal Verbs with “Up”

Phrasal verbs with up are everywhere in everyday English. They can mean to increase, to improve, to complete, or simply to move upwards — which is why learners sometimes find them confusing. The good news is that learning them in context makes everything far easier. Here are phrasal verbs with “up” to help you boost your vocabulary and sound more natural.

COME UP

Meaning: to approach.

• Mary came up to me and offered to drive me home.
• When his guests left, Martin called his secretary to come up.

CATCH UP

Meaning: to exchange news with someone.

• I’ll call you next week. After all this time, we have a lot to catch up on!
• Bye for now. I’ll catch up with you later!

KEEP UP

Meaning: to continue being equal with someone or something.

• Despite my age, I am trying to keep up with the latest fashion!
• John was huffing and puffing while trying to keep up with other hikers.

MEET UP

Meaning: to meet someone in order to discuss something.

• Why don’t we meet up after work to discuss the new project.
• Let’s meet up on Saturday for a game of tennis.

SET UP

Meaning: to establish.

• They set up a committee for collecting signatures.
• Mary set up an online business so she’s working from home now.

PUT UP WITH

Meaning: to tolerate.

• I can’t understand how she puts up with her difficult husband and five children?
• They got divorced because Fiona couldn’t put up with his temper any longer.

STAND UP

Meaning: to get up in a standing position.

• When he heard the news, Damon stood up and left the room.
• Will you please be so kind and stand up for me so I can sit?

PICK UP

Meaning: to lift something using your hands.

• I picked up a letter from the floor and gave it to her.
• Lorna bend over to pick up the flower.

TURN UP

Meaning: to arrive to a place.

• Tony turned up late so everyone at the party could see him.
• We’ve been waiting for an hour but he didn’t turn up.

BREAK UP

Meaning: to end a romantic relationship; or to stop for a holiday (BrE – school).

• They broke up after realising they wanted different things in life.
• Schools usually break up for the summer in mid-July.

BRING UP

Meaning: to mention a topic; or to raise a child.

• She brought up an interesting point during the meeting.
• They brought up their children to be polite and kind.

BUILD UP

Meaning: to increase gradually; to strengthen.

• Over the years, he built up his own business from scratch.
• You need to build up your confidence before the exam.

CHEER UP

Meaning: to become happier; to make someone feel happier.

• Come on, cheer up! Things will get better soon.
• We bought her flowers to cheer her up after the operation.

CLEAN UP

Meaning: to make a place tidy and clean.

• Let’s clean up before the guests arrive.
• The streets were cleaned up after the festival.

FILL UP

Meaning: to make something completely full.

• Could you fill up the tank before we leave?
• The hall filled up quickly before the concert started.

GIVE UP

Meaning: to stop doing something; to quit.

• He finally gave up smoking after years of trying.
• Don’t give up — you’re making great progress!

MAKE UP

Meaning: to invent something; or to become friends again after an argument.

• She made up a silly excuse for being late.
• They argued all morning but made up in the afternoon.

SHOW UP

Meaning: to appear; to arrive where expected.

• She finally showed up an hour late.
• Only three people showed up for the meeting.

SPEED UP

Meaning: to go faster.

• Could you speed up a bit? We’re running late.
• The government is trying to speed up the approval process.

Download exercise for this lesson in PDF here

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