1 B1 informal
To improve the taste of food or drink by adding seasoning or flavoring.
"You can flavor up a plain chicken breast with a garlic and herb marinade."
separable
flavor up
B2 informal separable transitive
To enhance the taste of food or drink by adding seasoning, spices, or other ingredients.
In plain English
To make food taste better by adding things like salt, spices, or sauce.
What does "flavor up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To make something more interesting or exciting (figurative).
"The editor suggested flavoring up the article with a few personal anecdotes."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To bring flavor up (to a higher level) — partially transparent.
Actually means
To make food taste better by adding things like salt, spices, or sauce.
Usage tip
Primarily used in North American English, especially in cooking shows and recipes. More informal than 'season' or 'enhance the flavor of'. Occasionally used figuratively.
Words that pair with "flavor up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
dish sauce soup marinade recipe meal
How to conjugate "flavor up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
flavor up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
flavors up
he/she/it
Past simple
flavored up
yesterday
Past participle
flavored up
have + pp
-ing form
flavoring up
continuous
Hear "flavor up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "flavor up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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