top up

British  

verb

1. to raise the level of (a liquid, powder, etc) in (a container), usually bringing it to the brim of the container

   top up the sugar in those bowls

2. 1. to increase the benefits from (an insurance scheme), esp to increase a pension when a salary rise enables higher premiums to be paid

   2. to add money to (a loan, bank account, etc) in order to keep it at a constant or acceptable level

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noun

1. 1. an amount added to something in order to raise it to or maintain it at a desired level

   2. ( as modifier )

      a top-up loan

      a top-up policy

Example Sentences

The system is designed to "top up" the seats already won in the area via the constituency ballot, to make sure each party gets broadly fair representation in parliament.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Given that your guaranteed income more than covers your expenses, it’s a good time to have a conversation with your husband about why he wants to top up your cash.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Gail Seamark, community development delivery officer for the Bread and Butter Thing, said the charity helped families to "top up" their shopping.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

Once he is adequately refuelled, Mahamed will sleep for an hour or two and then wake for more food at about 4am, before returning to bed to top up on sleep.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

Valentina guessed that the mechanics back home must have failed to top up the fuel tanks after testing the engines.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein