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.
The early 2000s saw the arrival of coconut water, once seen as way to use up a byproduct from coconut cream that caught on years later.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 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
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 approved for use up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
“But don’t use up our food too fast,” he added.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
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.
