1 C1 idiomatic slang
(British prison slang) To lock a prison cell door, confining the prisoner inside.
"The guard told the inmates to get inside before he dubbed them up for the night."
separable
dub up
C1 slang separable transitive/intransitive
In British prison slang, to lock a cell door; also used in audio contexts to mean mixing or dubbing a recording.
In plain English
To lock someone in a prison cell (slang), or to add extra audio to a recording.
What does "dub up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 informal
(Audio/music) To add a dubbed or remixed layer to a recording.
"The DJ dubbed up a bassline over the original vocal track."
separable
Usage tip
Highly restricted usage. The prison sense is British English slang, rarely encountered outside of prison narratives or crime fiction. The audio sense overlaps with general 'dub' usage in music production. Not recommended for general learners to use actively.
Words that pair with "dub up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
cell door prisoner track recording
How to conjugate "dub up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
dub up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
dubs up
he/she/it
Past simple
dubed up
yesterday
Past participle
dubed up
have + pp
-ing form
dubing up
continuous
Hear "dub up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "dub up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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