do up
Britishverb
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to wrap and make into a bundle
to do up a parcel
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to cause the downfall of (a person)
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to beautify or adorn
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(also intr) to fasten or be fastened
this skirt does up at the back
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informal to renovate or redecorate
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slang to assault
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Fasten up or put up; also, dress up. For example, Let's do up all the gifts in matching paper , or Please help me do up the collar button , or Jane did up her hair for the dance , or The children were all done up in their best outfits . [c. 1800]
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. Do something thoroughly or very well, as in They really did it up brown for the dinner party . The allusion here is unclear, but it may be to wrapping a package in brown paper. [Mid-1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The conscripts then do up to 15 months compulsory training before going back into civilian life, in employment or higher education.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
We can do up to three miles together, and then she’s very, very happy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2025
People on barred lists can still do up to three days of teaching or training with children in any 30-day period, in certain circumstances.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2025
As they say, Blinken is on a high wire right now—and he’s got a lot of balancing to do up there.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2023
Harry dawdled behind, taking an inordinate amount of time to do up his bag.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
