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jack up

B1 informal separable transitive
In simple words

lift it up or make it much higher

Literal meaning: To lift something using a jack.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To lift a vehicle or other heavy object off the ground, especially with a jack.

"We jacked up the car to change the flat tire."

Grammar: separable
2 B1 idiomatic informal

To increase a price, rate, amount, or level, often suddenly or a lot.

"The landlord jacked up the rent after renovating the building."

"Oil prices have been jacked up."

— Donald Trump, Twitter/X post, 2018
Grammar: separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal

To boost the intensity, volume, or level of something.

"The DJ jacked up the volume as the crowd got louder."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Common in both literal and figurative uses. Often used for cars, prices, rates, and production levels.

Commonly used with

car truck price rent rates production

Forms

Base
jack up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
jacks up
he/she/it
Past simple
jacked up
yesterday
Past participle
jacked up
have + pp
-ing form
jacking up
continuous

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Synonyms

raise lift increase hike up boost elevate

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