1 A2 informal
To fill a vehicle's fuel tank with gasoline before driving.
"We need to gas up before we get on the motorway — the tank is almost empty."
separable
gas up
A2 informal separable transitive/intransitive
To put petrol (gasoline) into a vehicle's fuel tank.
In plain English
To fill your car with petrol before a trip.
What does "gas up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 informal
To supply a vehicle or piece of equipment with fuel in preparation for use.
"The ground crew gassed up the planes overnight so they would be ready at dawn."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To put gas (fuel) up into the tank.
Actually means
To fill your car with petrol before a trip.
Usage tip
Primarily North American English. British speakers typically say 'fill up' or 'get petrol'. Used both transitively ('gas up the car') and intransitively ('we gassed up before the highway'). Common in everyday spoken American English.
Words that pair with "gas up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
car truck vehicle tank highway station
How to conjugate "gas up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
gas up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
gases up
he/she/it
Past simple
gased up
yesterday
Past participle
gased up
have + pp
-ing form
gasing up
continuous
Hear "gas up" in the wild
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