1 B1 neutral
Of vegetation: to become visibly green as new growth appears, especially in spring.
"After two weeks of rain, the dry hillsides finally greened up beautifully."
green up
B2 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To become greener — either literally (plants sprouting) or figuratively (becoming more environmentally friendly).
In plain English
When something turns green, like plants growing in spring, or when a person or company starts being kinder to the environment.
What does "green up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
To make a place, organization, or practice more environmentally sustainable.
"The city council announced plans to green up public transport by replacing diesel buses with electric ones."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To turn or make something green in color.
Actually means
When something turns green, like plants growing in spring, or when a person or company starts being kinder to the environment.
Usage tip
The literal sense (vegetation growing) is common in agriculture and nature writing. The figurative 'eco-friendly' sense is increasingly common in journalism and business contexts. Both transitive ('green up the office') and intransitive ('the fields greened up') uses exist.
Words that pair with "green up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
lawn fields city policy company spring
How to conjugate "green up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
green up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
greens up
he/she/it
Past simple
greened up
yesterday
Past participle
greened up
have + pp
-ing form
greening up
continuous
Hear "green up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "green up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "green up"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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