Do up meaning
Do up means to close a coat, shirt or shoes with buttons, a zip or laces. It can also mean to repair and decorate an old house, room or car.
do something up
do up · did · done · doing
Do up your coat. It’s freezing outside.
Do up meanings and examples
2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Close a coat, shirt or shoes with buttons, a zip or laces
do something up
- Do up your coat. It’s freezing outside.
- I can’t do this zip up. Can you help?
- His shoelaces weren’t done up, so he tripped.
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2
Repair and decorate an old house, room or car
do something up
- They bought an old cottage and did it up.
- We’re doing up the kitchen this summer.
- He loves doing up old motorbikes.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use do up in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is do up separable?
Do up is separable: do up your buttons or do your buttons up. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: do it up.
Do up is mainly UK English. In US English, people say button, zip or fasten, and fix up for a house.
Verb tenses for do up
| Present | I do up · she does up |
|---|---|
| Past | did up |
| Present perfect | have done up |
| -ing form | doing up |
Common mistakes with do up
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: My coat is open. Can you do up it?
Right: My coat is open. Can you do it up?
A pronoun goes between do and up.
Wrong: Do on your seat belt, please.
Right: Do up your seat belt, please.
The particle is up; or say fasten your seat belt.
Wrong: They did up the house new.
Right: They did up the house.
Do up already means make it look new again.
Synonyms and opposites of do up
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- fastenclose a belt, button or zip, more formal
- fix upUS, repair and improve a house or car
- tie upclose something with string or tie a knot
Opposite
- undoopen buttons, a zip or laces
- unzipopen a zip
Do up quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1It’s windy. ___ your jacket before we go.
Do up a jacket means close it.
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2Choose the right sentence.
The pronoun goes in the middle: do them up.
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3“They’re doing up a flat in Leeds.” What are they doing?
Do up a home means repair and improve it.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- get upA1get out of bed after you sleep
- take upB1start a new hobby or activity
- put upB1fix something to a wall, or raise something higher
- look upA2find information in a dictionary, a book or online
- go upB1become higher, like a price, a number or a temperature
- come upB2be mentioned or talked about
- give upB1stop doing or having something, often a habit
- break upB1end a romantic relationship
Do up FAQ
Questions people ask about do up.
Is do up British?
Yes, it is mostly British. Americans usually say button up, zip up or fix up.
What is the opposite of do up?
Undo: Undo your top button. For a zip, unzip.
What does all done up mean?
Informally, all done up means dressed very smartly with hair and make-up done: She was all done up for the party.
Use do up in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.