have one's back up

verb

To be angry or defensive.

“He's had his back up all morning. There's no point in trying to talk to him.”

Similar
get one's dander upget one's Irish up
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Meanings

verbhave one's back up (third-person singular simple present has one's back up, present participle having one's back up, simple past and past participle had one's back up)

present singular third person has one's back up · participle present having one's back up · participle past had one's back up · past had one's back up

  1. idiomaticTo be angry or defensive.

    He's had his back up all morning. There's no point in trying to talk to him.

    Synonyms: get one's dander up, get one's Irish up

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo be angry or defensive.

Similar
get one's dander upget one's Irish up
Cite this entry
APA

have one's back up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20back%20up

MLA

“have one's back up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20back%20up. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have one's back up,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20back%20up.

Source: have one's back up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.