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Synonyms

go up

British  

verb

  1. (also preposition) to move or lead to or as if to a higher place or level; rise; increase

    prices are always going up

    the curtain goes up at eight o'clock

    new buildings are going up all around us

  2. to be destroyed

    the house went up in flames

  3. to go or return (to college or university) at the beginning of a term or academic year

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

go up Idioms  
  1. Be put up, as in New buildings are going up all over town .

  2. Rise; increase. For example, His temperature is going up at an alarming rate , or The costs of construction are going up all the time . [Late 1800s]

  3. Also, be gone up . Be destroyed, ruined, done for; also, die, be killed. For example, If we're not back in a week, you'll know we've gone up , or In spite of our efforts, the plans for a new library are gone up . [ Slang ; mid-1800s]

  4. Forget one's lines on the stage or make a mistake in performing music. For example, Don't worry, you know your part and you won't go up , or He went up in the last movement of the sonata . [ Slang ; 1960s] Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with go 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.

An all-terrain wheelchair allowed her to recently go up a ridge on the Black Mountains.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Because his bee boxes — the structures used to house his colonies — all burned, Teller’s costs will go up.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

“There is a lot of indication that costs will go up, jobs will get cut or wages will go down,” he added.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

“And whether they go up or not, one thing that I’m certain about is the stock is going to be very volatile.”

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

I go up to the Popsicle formerly known as General Sharpe.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

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