Use up meaning
Use up means to use all of something so that none is left.
use something up
use up · used · using
Who used up all the hot water?
Use up meanings and examples
One meaning, each with its own CEFR level from Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries and the Cambridge Dictionary.
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1
Use all of something so that none is left
use something up
- Who used up all the hot water?
- We had some paint left, so we used it up on the fence.
- I’ve used my phone data up and it’s only the 20th.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use use 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 use up separable?
Use up is separable: use up the milk, use the milk up. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: use it up, not use up it.
Used up can also describe a person who is very tired: I feel used up after this week. Use up stresses the person doing it; run out of stresses that none is left.
Verb tenses for use up
| Present | I use up · she uses up |
|---|---|
| Past | used up |
| Present perfect | have used up |
| -ing form | using up |
Common mistakes with use up
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: The cheese is old. Let’s use up it tonight.
Right: The cheese is old. Let’s use it up tonight.
A pronoun goes between use and up.
Wrong: We have used up of all the paper.
Right: We have used up all the paper.
No of after use up.
Wrong: The milk used up.
Right: The milk has run out.
Use up needs a person who uses. When the thing is the subject, say run out.
Synonyms and opposites of use up
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- run out ofhave none left; often by accident
- finisheat or use the last of something
- go throughuse a lot of something quickly
Use up quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1Someone ___ all the printer paper and didn’t buy more.
Use up means use all of something.
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2Choose the right sentence.
A person uses something up, and there is no of.
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3A recipe says, “A great way to use up old bananas.” What does it mean?
Use up food means use all of it before it goes bad.
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
Use up FAQ
Questions people ask about use up.
Use up vs run out of: what is the difference?
Use up is about the action of using: I used up the paper. Run out of is about the result, having none: I ran out of paper.
Is use up the same as use?
No. Use means use some of it. Use up means use all of it, so none is left.
What does used up mean?
Used up means finished, or very tired: My energy is all used up.
Use use 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.