Meanings
present singular third person rarks up · participle present rarking up · participle past rarked up · past rarked up
- New ZealandslangtransitiveTo tell (someone) off.
- New ZealandslangtransitiveTo provoke or hurry (someone) into doing something.
Helping to rark-up the crowd at any world series event is MC John McDonald.
2019 August 23, “Top darts players converge on Hamilton”, in Radio NZ - New ZealandslangtransitiveTo make (someone) angry or annoyed.
I know I rark up the neighbours a bit . . . I'm settling down a bit now though.
2016 June 6, “Nightmare neighbour promises to tidy up his act”, in Stuff
plural rark ups
- New ZealandslangA telling off.
I lived to tell the tale, but after I got dragged out of the crevasse, I got a bit of a rark-up, which was totally reasonable.
2016 September 26, “'Bit of a rark-up' from Sir Ed”, in Otago Daily Times - New ZealandslangA provocation.
Origin
Unknown. [1990s].
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
rark up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rark%20up
“rark up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rark%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rark up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rark%20up.
Source: rark up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.