get-up
noun
get-up
American
[get-uhp]
/ ˈgɛtˌʌp /
get up
British
verb
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to wake and rise from one's bed or cause to wake and rise from bed
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(intr) to rise to one's feet; stand up
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(also preposition) to ascend or cause to ascend
the old van couldn't get up the hill
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to mount or help to mount (a bicycle, horse, etc)
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to increase or cause to increase in strength
the wind got up at noon
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informal (tr) to dress (oneself) in a particular way, esp showily or elaborately
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informal (tr) to devise or create
to get up an entertainment for Christmas
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informal (tr) to study or improve one's knowledge of
I must get up my history
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informal to be involved in
he's always getting up to mischief
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informal (intr) to win, esp in a sporting event
noun
-
informal a costume or outfit, esp one that is striking or bizarre
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informal the arrangement or production of a book, etc
get up
Idioms
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Arise from bed; also, sit or stand up. For example, Once I get up and have coffee, I'm ready to work . One of Irving Berlin's earliest hit songs was “Oh! How I hate to Get Up in the Morning” (1918). [Mid-1300s]
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Ascend, mount, as in I hate to get up on a ladder . [First half of 1500s]
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Create or organize, as in She got up the petition against zoning . [Late 1500s]
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Dress or adorn, as in She plans to get herself up in a bizarre outfit . This usage is most often put in the form of the past participle ( got up ), as in The wedding albums were got up with ruffles and lace . [Late 1700s]
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Draw on, create in oneself, as in I finally got up the nerve to quit , or Joe got up his courage and told the boss he was leaving . [Early 1800s] Also see get someone's back up ; also see the subsequent idioms beginning with get up .
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.
See Examples For:
"They could make all of the music without the get-up and I think they'd still do well," he says.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2025
There's Jennifer Aniston's sparkly get-up, which she wore on the 2005 Oscars red carpet after her split with Brad Pitt.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2023
Do the aliens have a traditional green-Martian look, or is it more of a menacing Independence Day get-up?
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2023
The get-up pays homage to Earring Magic Barbie from 1992.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2023
“That boy’s got a job his first day here. That’s get-up for you. He’s going somewhere. He just don’t sit and gab. He moves.”
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
"It gives you a purpose every day because you have to get up and get dressed to do the video," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Tomorrow she will get up, climb back to what remains of her apartment, prepare for work and once again try to solve the problems of the day.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
What time do you get up on Mondays, and what’s the first thing you do after waking up?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
Well into her 90s, she continued to get up every day to craft assemblages out of the objects she had amassed in her studio.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Anyone have any ideas how to get up there?”
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
