use up
Britishverb
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to finish (a supply); consume completely
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to exhaust; wear out
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Consume completely, as in The kids used up all their money playing video games . [Late 1700s]
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Exhaust, tire out, as in I'm totally used up from digging that hole . [ Colloquial ; mid-1800s]
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.
Blume has floated the possibility of VW's European plants making the company's Chinese-designed cars to use up spare capacity and also said that production for defence contractors could be an option.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Google and law enforcement call the group “Outsider” and say it is sending messages telling people they have mobile-phone-company rewards points to use up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Four of those seven were airlines or cruise-ship operators, which use up a lot of fuel.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 7, 2026
These meals use up ingredients that might otherwise go to waste and are simple and quick to prepare.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
“It is not wise, Susan, to use up so much energy that way.”
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
