1 A2 neutral
To clean and shine an object by rubbing it with polish or a cloth.
"He spent Saturday morning polishing up his old motorbike until it gleamed."
separable
polish up
B1 neutral separable transitive
To improve or refine something, or to make it shine by polishing.
In plain English
To make something better, cleaner, or shinier than it was before.
What does "polish up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic neutral
To improve the quality of a skill, piece of work, or performance by practising or revising.
"You should polish up your essay before submitting it — the conclusion needs more work."
separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To improve one's personal appearance or public image.
"The candidate polished up her image before the television debate."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To rub a surface with polish until it becomes shiny — the figurative sense extends this to mean refining or improving something.
Actually means
To make something better, cleaner, or shinier than it was before.
Usage tip
Used both literally (cleaning and shining an object) and figuratively (improving a skill, presentation, or piece of writing). Common in both British and American English. Often used reflexively: 'polish up one's act' or 'polish up one's image'.
Words that pair with "polish up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
skills performance presentation image speech shoes
How to conjugate "polish up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
polish up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
polishes up
he/she/it
Past simple
polished up
yesterday
Past participle
polished up
have + pp
-ing form
polishing up
continuous
Hear "polish up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "polish up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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