1 B1 idiomatic informal
To charge a device or add electrical power to something.
"I need to juice up my phone before we leave — it's almost dead."
separable
juice up
B2 informal separable transitive
To add power, energy, or excitement to something; to charge a device.
In plain English
To make something stronger, more exciting, or to charge something with electricity.
What does "juice up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To increase the power, speed, or performance of a machine or engine.
"The mechanics juiced up the engine to improve the car's acceleration."
separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To make something more exciting, interesting, or energetic.
"The director asked the writers to juice up the final act of the screenplay."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To add juice (liquid/power) upward — partly metaphorical.
Actually means
To make something stronger, more exciting, or to charge something with electricity.
Usage tip
Versatile and common in American English. Can refer to devices (juice up your phone = charge it), vehicles (juice up an engine = boost its power), presentations (juice up a speech = make it more exciting), or people (juice up the crowd = energize them). The 'charge' sense is recent and common among younger speakers.
Words that pair with "juice up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
phone battery engine speech presentation crowd performance
How to conjugate "juice up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
juice up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
juices up
he/she/it
Past simple
juiced up
yesterday
Past participle
juiced up
have + pp
-ing form
juicing up
continuous
Hear "juice up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "juice up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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