shoot-up
noun
an act or instance of injecting an addictive drug intravenously.
shoot-up
American
[shoot-uhp]
/ ˈʃutˌʌp /
shoot up
British
verb
-
(intr) to grow or become taller very fast
-
(tr) to hit with a number of shots
-
(tr) to spread terror throughout (a place) by lawless and wanton shooting
-
slang (tr) to inject (someone, esp oneself) with (a drug, esp heroin)
shoot up
Idioms
-
Grow or get taller very rapidly, as in She's really shot up in the last year, and now she's taller than her mother . [First half of 1500s]
-
Riddle with bullets; damage or terrorize with gunfire. For example, I liked the scene in which the cowboy stomps into the saloon, gets drunk, and shoots the place up . [Late 1800s]
-
Inject a drug intravenously, especially an illegal drug. For example, The police caught him shooting up and arrested him . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]
Etymology
Origin of shoot-up
First recorded in 1965–70; noun use of verb phrase shoot 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.
United Airlines Chief Executive Scott Kirby previously warned that fares could shoot up as much as 20% because of war-related shortages of fuel.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
It says some of its members could even find themselves making a loss on diesel, which has seen its price shoot up particularly sharply.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
Expenses that shoot up due to rising prices or increased personal usage “can be a real hit to savings,” she said.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 19, 2026
But starting in 2024, prices of existing homes started to shoot up and the gap closed.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 13, 2026
This time of year, the valley shimmers with clumps of orange jewelweed and sapphire bellflowers that shoot up from a blanket of moss so soft you could lie down and sleep for a thousand years.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
