1 B1 neutral
To lift a vehicle or other heavy object off the ground, especially with a jack.
"We jacked up the car to change the flat tire."
separable
jack up
B1 informal separable transitive
To lift something higher or make an amount, level, or price go up sharply.
In plain English
lift it up or make it much higher
What does "jack up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
To increase a price, rate, amount, or level, often suddenly or a lot.
"The landlord jacked up the rent after renovating the building."
“
Oil prices have been jacked up.
— Donald Trump, Twitter/X post, 2018
separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To boost the intensity, volume, or level of something.
"The DJ jacked up the volume as the crowd got louder."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To lift something using a jack.
Actually means
lift it up or make it much higher
Usage tip
Common in both literal and figurative uses. Often used for cars, prices, rates, and production levels.
Words that pair with "jack up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
car truck price rent rates production
How to conjugate "jack up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
jack up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
jacks up
he/she/it
Past simple
jacked up
yesterday
Past participle
jacked up
have + pp
-ing form
jacking up
continuous
Hear "jack up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "jack up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "jack up"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.