The word “up” is used in many phrasal verbs, providing a wealth of expressions that enhance English language fluency. These phrasal verbs can indicate an increase, completion, improvement, or starting something, among other meanings. Mastering them can greatly improve your ability to express actions and emotions with clarity and precision. Let’s explore some useful phrasal verbs that incorporate “up.”
Here is the list of 20 Phrasal verbs with Up:
- Wake up
- Clean up
- Look up
- Give up
- Dress up
- Make up
- Set up
- Break up
- Blow up
- Hang up
- Pick up
- Turn up
- Shut up
- Wrap up
- Mix up
- Back up
- Hold up
- Catch up
- Speed up
- Fix up
Phrasal Verbs With Up And Their Meanings
Wrap up
Meaning: To complete or finish something.
Example: Let’s wrap up this meeting and go home.
Fix up
Meaning: To repair or renovate.
Example: They’re planning to fix up the old house.
Wake up
Meaning: To stop sleeping; become alert.
Example: I wake up at 6 AM every morning.
Clean up
Meaning: To tidy or clean an area.
Example: After the party, we had to clean up the mess.
Look up
Meaning: To search for information, especially in a book or online.
Example: You can look up the word in a dictionary.
Give up
Meaning: To stop trying or surrender.
Example: He gave up smoking last year.
Dress up
Meaning: To wear formal or elaborate clothes.
Example: She likes to dress up for any occasion.
Make up
Meaning: To reconcile after a dispute or to invent a story.
Example: They made up quickly after the argument.
Set up
Meaning: To arrange or establish something.
Example: We need to set up the meeting room before noon.
Break up
Meaning: To end a relationship or gathering.
Example: They decided to break up after five years together.
Blow up
Meaning: To explode or increase significantly.
Example: The balloons blew up when exposed to the heat.
Hang up
Meaning: To end a phone call; to hang something on a hook or hanger.
Example: She hung up before I could explain.
Pick up
Meaning: To lift something; to improve or recover.
Example: Sales picked up after the new advertising campaign.
Turn up
Meaning: To appear unexpectedly or to increase volume or intensity.
Example: He turned up at the party without an invitation.
Shut up
Meaning: To stop talking or making noise.
Example: She told her noisy classmates to shut up.
Mix up
Meaning: To confuse or combine things in a disorderly way.
Example: I mixed up the files for the two clients.
Back up
Meaning: To make a copy of data or support someone.
Example: Always back up your work on a separate drive.
Hold up
Meaning: To delay or rob using threats.
Example: Traffic was held up due to the accident.
Catch up
Meaning: To reach the same level or point as someone else.
Example: I need to catch up on my reading.
Speed up
Meaning: To increase speed.
Example: The driver sped up as he entered the highway.
