get up

present singular third person gets up · participle present getting up · past got up · UK participle past got up · US participle past gotten up

1. literallyTo move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb.

   I'm having difficulty getting up the stairs.

   2 more examples

   The tired horse eventually got up and over the hurdle.

   When a train has to ascend the incline, it first runs down, engine first, from the station about 60 or 70 yards. Then comes behind it the aforesaid truck, or one similar, which, being attached to an endless wire rope, a communication is made by means of the electric telegraph to the engineman at the top of the incline, when the fixed engine begins to work, and the train, partly pulled by the locomotive before, and partly pushed by the truck behind, rapidly ascends, taking somewhere about three minutes to get up.

   1957 September 28, M. D. Greville and G. O. Holt, “Railway Development in Manchester—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 620, from Herapath's Journal

   Synonyms: alley oop

2. To rise from one's bed, usually upon waking up in order to begin one's day.

   I didn't get up until midday.

   1 more example

   We know what it is to get out of bed on a freezing morning in a room without a fire, and how the very vital principle within us protests against the ordeal. Probably most persons have lain on certain mornings for an hour at a time unable to brace themselves to the resolve. We think how late we shall be, how the duties of the day will suffer; we say, "I must get up, this is ignominious," etc.; but still the warm couch feels too delicious, the cold outside too cruel, and resolution faints away and postpones itself again and again just as it seemed on the verge of bursting the resistance and passing over into the decisive act. Now how do we ever get up under such circumstances? If I may generalize from my own experience, we more often than not get up without any struggle or decision at all. We suddenly find that we have got up.

   1918, William James, chapter 26, in The Principles of Psychology

3. To move from a sitting or lying position to a standing position; to stand up.

   Get up off the couch and clean this mess!

   1 more example

   That guy's not getting up, is he?

   2008 July 14, Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Comics, Legendary Pictures

   Synonyms: stand up

4. To materialise; to grow stronger.

   As dusk fell a storm got up.

   Synonyms: come into being

5. To bring together; to amass.

   The general got up a large body of men.

   1 more example

   If you're short on cash this month I'll just find another way to get up my half of the rent.

   1986, Craig G. Harris, “Weekend Plans”, in Joseph Beam, editor, In The Life: A Black Gay Anthology, page 139

   Synonyms: amound

6. To gather or grow larger by accretion.

   The locomotive got up a good head of steam.

   1 more example

   I could see that he was getting up a temper.

   Synonyms: gather

7. hobbiesTo go towards the attacking goal.

   City sent on Adam Johnson for the ineffective Jo and the Englishman at least gave notice that he wanted to run at the Arsenal defence, but his team-mates had been run into the ground by then and no-one could get up in support of the winger.

   2011 January 5, Jonathan Stevenson, “Arsenal 0 - 0 Man City”, in BBC

8. AustraliaUKcolloquialTo criticise.

   He got up me about the mess I made in the kitchen.

   4 more examples

   Back in January 1989, as soon as Rod got up me that night, I knew he rated me, cared about what I did and how I performed. I felt I′d climbed a big step up the credibility ladder.

   2010 July 1 [2001], Ian Healy, Hands and Heals: The Autobiography (non-fiction), →ISBN

   I said ok and resorted to only taunting or using a taunt spell to get mobs off the wizzy but the cleric got up me for that too.

   2003 February 6, James Hicks, “New LoY spell info up.”, in alt.games.everquest (Usenet)

   To those of you who (and there a ^([sic]) a few) who got up me yesterday at Mt White for being a slack-arse and not replacing the rear tyre on the 'Bird, I can now state for the record that she's shod with a brand new 020.

   2003 October 20, Dave Ello, “New Battlax to support the old Battle-axe...”, in aus.motorcycles (Usenet)

   Alan, silver-haired and full of Aussie wit, tells me how his favourite cousin got up him recently, ‘Of course, you get yourself into these situations if you′re always trying to be the hero.’ That really annoyed him.

   2011, Mark Whittaker, Brave: Ordinary Australians and their extraordinary acts of courage (non-fiction), page 205

   Synonyms: berate

9. colloquialTo annoy.

   Well, Beaver said at last. Somethin′s got up him. Like you said—people have regrets.

   2002 November 25 [2001], Tim Winton, “Four”, in Dirt Music (fiction), page 257

   Synonyms: exasperate

10. To dress in a certain way, especially extravagantly.

    He got himself up for the party.

    4 more examples

    She was all got up in the most ridiculous frilly dress.

    There's so much getting up to please the town, / It takes a precious deal of “coming down ;”

    1879, James Planché, “Mr. Buckstone's Ascent; Or, Mount Parnassus”, in The Extravaganzas of J. R. Planché, esq., page 274

    Leroy is gotten up in blaxploitation mod capes and jump suits, trying to look like Isaac Hayes as possible.

    1973 December 15, Jonathan Cross, “The Fag in the Fifth Row”, in Gay Community News, volume 1, number 25, page 4

    You will stand out all the more at this time of the year, when most travellers are got up like John Candy in Summer Rental.

    2025 August 2, Janan Ganesh, “How to travel”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 18

11. AustraliacolloquialTo succeed; to win.

    Looking at the polling, I don't reckon this referendum will get up.

    2 more examples

    If the Blues happen to win, next day at Roma Saleyards you wouldn't know there'd been a game, but if the Maroons get up they drive it into the NSW buyers at every pen.

    2009, John Gilfoyle, And They Came to Roma Saleyards, Boolarong Press, →ISBN, page 93

    'The Curry for the Country' minister's rave was, 'If Labor got up, Albo and his lot of mad loony socialist greenies were going to force all Australians to drive electric vehicles. Imagine our nation without the heady aroma of diesel.'

    2021 October 26, H. G. Nelson, The Fairytale: A real and imagined history of Australian sport, Macmillan Publishers Aus., →ISBN

12. slangTo have sex; to penetrate sexually; to have a sexual or romantic liaison.
13. slangAfrican-American VernacularTo leave or go to somewhere.

    We better get up out of here.

    1 more example

    Get up out of there, fuck your ride.

    1996 June 25, Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., Brooklyn's Finest

14. slangAfrican-American VernacularTo leave prison.
15. USslangTo meet with or get to know (someone); to hang out with someone.

    Synonyms: rise

16. slangAfrican-American VernacularTo be excited about something; to act regarding something; to become cognizant of something.

    He got up on his game.

    1 more example

    You have to get up with your career.