get-up
Americanverb
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to wake and rise from one's bed or cause to wake and rise from bed
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(intr) to rise to one's feet; stand up
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(also preposition) to ascend or cause to ascend
the old van couldn't get up the hill
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to mount or help to mount (a bicycle, horse, etc)
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to increase or cause to increase in strength
the wind got up at noon
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informal (tr) to dress (oneself) in a particular way, esp showily or elaborately
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informal (tr) to devise or create
to get up an entertainment for Christmas
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informal (tr) to study or improve one's knowledge of
I must get up my history
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informal to be involved in
he's always getting up to mischief
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informal (intr) to win, esp in a sporting event
noun
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informal a costume or outfit, esp one that is striking or bizarre
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informal the arrangement or production of a book, etc
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Arise from bed; also, sit or stand up. For example, Once I get up and have coffee, I'm ready to work . One of Irving Berlin's earliest hit songs was “Oh! How I hate to Get Up in the Morning” (1918). [Mid-1300s]
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Ascend, mount, as in I hate to get up on a ladder . [First half of 1500s]
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Create or organize, as in She got up the petition against zoning . [Late 1500s]
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Dress or adorn, as in She plans to get herself up in a bizarre outfit . This usage is most often put in the form of the past participle ( got up ), as in The wedding albums were got up with ruffles and lace . [Late 1700s]
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Draw on, create in oneself, as in I finally got up the nerve to quit , or Joe got up his courage and told the boss he was leaving . [Early 1800s] Also see get someone's back up ; also see the subsequent idioms beginning with get 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.
Meals was in his full get-up when we met at 6th and Gaffey in San Pedro.
From Los Angeles Times
"They could make all of the music without the get-up and I think they'd still do well," he says.
From BBC
While the event is associated with head-turning haute couture donned by the most popular celebrities — think Tyla’s Balmain sand dress, Blake Lively’s Statue of Liberty-inspired Versace gown or Rihanna’s papal get-up by John Galliano — the annual gala serves as a charity dinner for the museum’s Costume Institute and coincides with a fashion exhibit that shares the theme of the event.
From Los Angeles Times
Introduced by the actor Samuel L. Jackson in a red-white-and-blue Uncle Sam get-up, Lamar began the show crouched on a Buick Grand National, the car after which he titled his latest album.
From Los Angeles Times
Photos published by People and New York Post show Williams’ glittery get-up and motorized scooter, which she personalized with luxury fashion accessories including a cup-holder seemingly wrapped in Louis Vuitton’s iconic brown monogram.
From Los Angeles Times
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.