sit-up

[ sit-uhp ]

/ ˈsɪtˌʌp /

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noun

an exercise in which a person lies flat on the back, lifts the torso to a sitting position, and then lies flat again without changing the position of the legs: formerly done with the legs straight but now usually done with the knees bent.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of sit-up

First recorded in 1835–45; noun use of verb phrase sit up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sit-up in a sentence

It's the equivalent of having a nagging teacher or parent telling you to "sit up!"
Lumo Lift Vibrates You Into Better Posture|Gregory Ferenstein|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That 31 percent number made me sit up straight for one reason.
Show Me the Medicaid Money|Michael Tomasky|February 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All night she would sit up sewing, pressing rhinestones, going blind.
Mel Brooks Is Always Funny and Often Wise in This 1975 Playboy Interview|Alex Belth|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was so hard to sit up there and stay composed and keep track of everything—to process what the facts were.
New York Journalists Remember the First Moments of 9/11|Abby Haglage|September 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Those last two points should make folks sit up a little straighter.
The Case For A Less-Guarded Optimism|Emily L. Hauser|July 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The hut was barely high enough to let him sit up, and long enough to let him lie down—not to stretch out.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
They had been permitted to sit up till after the ice-cream, which naturally marked the limit of human indulgence.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
By that time the fellow I'd kicked had so far recovered as to sit up, and the look he gave us was a scorcher.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
It is not an easy matter to sit up in a gale of wind, with freezing spray, and sometimes green seas, sweeping over one!
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
At dusk he left off, saying he should get it done at night, his senses would come then, and he should be glad to sit up.
The Daisy Chain|Charlotte Yonge

British Dictionary definitions for sit-up

sit up

verb (adverb)

to raise (oneself or another) from a recumbent to an upright or alert sitting posture

(intr) to remain out of bed and awake, esp until a late hour

(intr) informal to become suddenly interested or alertdevaluation of the dollar made the money market sit up

noun sit-up

a physical exercise in which the body is brought into a sitting position from one lying on the backAlso: trunk curl

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with sit-up

sit up

Rise to a sitting position from lying down, as in The sick child sat up and asked for a drink of water. [Early 1200s]

Stay up later than usual, as in The nurse sat up with her all night long. [Mid-1500s]

Sit with the spine erect, as in She was always telling the students to sit up. [Early 1700s]

Become suddenly alert, as in The students sat up when he brought up the test. The same sense appears in the related sit up and take notice, as in When he mentioned the arrival of a movie star, they all sat up and took notice. [Late 1800s]