use up

phraseB1Not compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To use up is to finish the whole supply of something. Nothing left for anybody else.

It splits round an object, and the phrase is often about leftovers, since using up what is in the fridge is a virtue. It applies to time, patience and goodwill as readily as to milk. The adjective used-up describes something exhausted, and it can be applied to a person. Run out of describes the same event from the other end, once the supply has gone.

Definitions of use up

1phraseuse upTo consume the whole supply of something.B1
“We should use up the vegetables before they go.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 11 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

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use up

phraseB1Not compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To use up is to finish the whole supply of something. Nothing left for anybody else.

Definitions of use up

1phraseuse upTo consume the whole supply of something.B1
“We should use up the vegetables before they go.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 11 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word