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paw up

C1 informal separable transitive
In simple words

to make something messy by touching it too much

Literal meaning: to cover something with paw marks or hand marks

Meanings

1 C1 informal

to dirty or mark something by handling it with hands or paws

"The kids pawed up the clean window with sticky fingers."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Rare and colloquial. Often used for glass, clothes, or clean surfaces marked by dirty hands or animals' paws.

Commonly used with

window dress floor car door glass furniture

Forms

Base
paw up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
paws up
he/she/it
Past simple
pawed up
yesterday
Past participle
pawed up
have + pp
-ing form
pawing up
continuous

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Synonyms

dirty smudge mess up mark up soil

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