Synonyms

mug up

British

verb

slang (adverb) to study (a subject) hard, esp for an exam

"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

Etymology

Origin of mug up

C19: of unknown origin

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.

Grant Shapps has been appointed defence secretary, to replace Ben Wallace, meaning he has a new brief to mug up on.

From BBC

Just imagine the mugging up he has to do.

From BBC

Having picked the mug up, the suit wearer finds that setting the mug down gently on a nearby table is also a bit of a challenge.

From The New Yorker

I asked, holding the mug up to my mouth and blowing on the hot coffee.

From Literature

Deciding he had to do something about it, he mugged up on chemistry.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023