1. "Up" meaning to finish
One meaning of "up" is to finish or complete something. Common
phrasal verbs where "up" means finish are the following:
• Add up – to add a group of numbers together until you reach a final sum.
Clean up – to clean a house (or another physical space, like an office or school) until it
is extremely clean.
Drink up – to drink until your glass is empty.
Eat up – to eat until your plate is empty.
Heat up – to warm something until it is hot.
2. Pack up – to pack until everything is in boxes.
Warm up – to sit in a warm space, such as by the fire or next to a radiator, until you
are warm.
Dry up – To become completely dry.
Use up – To use all of something so that there is none left.
Heal up – To heal completely and become healthy again.
Finish up – To finish a task completely.
3. Examples:
1. After you add up those numbers, I need to talk to you.
2. It took me ages to clean up the house yesterday!
3. Drink up! We need to leave soon.
4. Eat up before your food gets cold!
5. I'm going to heat up some of that leftover pasta.
6. Sandra grew up in England in the 1970s.
7. When Jessica moved out, she had to pack up all her belongings.
8. In the winter, I love to warm up by the fire.
• With these verbs, you can use the base verb without a big change in meaning.
However, including "up" means that you do the activity until it is finished.
