Common Collocations with UP

A list of the common collocations with the word up

Grow up

• When you grow up all this practice will come in useful.

Grown up

• You can be considered grown up when you are 18 years old.

Push up

• We will want to avoid a further decline for fear that import price rises will push up inflation.
• He does 100 push ups every day to build his strength.

Close up

• It was nine o’clock when she decided to close up the shop.
• In this photograph you see wild flowers in close up detail.

Sit up

• He does 100 sit ups every day to build his strength.
• It is good for your back if you sit up straight in your chair.

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Do up

• I have some paint and wallpaper so I am going to do up my apartment.
• He is doing up his old car.

Get up

• She likes to get up at 9 o’clock in the morning.

Follow up

• Please follow up on the story you wrote last week.
• The scientist did good follow-up work on his research.

Way up

• What is the safest way up the mountain?
• He lives way up north in the Arctic Circle.

Hang up

• Please hang up the phone and dial again.
• You can hang up your coat on the hook.
• Don’t get hung up on the details, look at the bigger picture.

Warm up

• Come and warm up by the fire.
• The athletes warm up by jogging lightly before the big race.

Blow up

• Let’s blow up the photograph and make it much bigger.
• You can blow up the ball with an air pump.
• A lot of trouble is going to blow up after this.
• A bomb can blow up a building.

Make up

• They had an argument and they need to make up.
• She wears too much make-up.
• I have made up a bed for you upstairs.

Start up

• I am trying to start up the engine.
• He is planning to start up his business again.

Look up

• They looked up at the stars.
• I am going to Taiwan to look up an old friend.
• I can look up the meaning of words in a dictionary.

Pick up

• Do you pick up hitchhikers?
• I am taking a truck to pick up my new washing machine.
• Can you pick up some milk for me?
• Please pick up your clothes from the floor.

Shut up

• If you are impolite and wish to tell someone to be quiet, you may tell them to shut up.
• At 5 o’clock it is time to shut up the shop.

Weigh up

• The judge weighs up all the evidence before making a decision.

Light up

• He lit up a cigarette.
• The fireworks light up the night sky.

Wrap up

• I enjoy wrapping up Christmas presents.
• Let’s wrap up this meeting, it is late.

Open up

• He started to open up, to tell me everything.
• The police banged on the door and shouted “open up“.

What’s up?

• What’s up? = How are you? How are things?

Fed up

• He is fed up with all the stress at work.

Shape up

• This is shaping up to be a great post about collocations with “up”.
• It is shaping up to be a good year for the new government.