1 B1 neutral
To increase the speed of a vehicle's engine by pressing the accelerator, especially while the vehicle is stationary.
"He revved up the engine before pulling out onto the motorway."
separable
rev up
B1 informal separable transitive/intransitive
To increase an engine's speed, or to increase energy, excitement, or activity.
In plain English
To make an engine roar louder, or to get yourself or others very excited and ready to go.
What does "rev up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
To increase energy, excitement, or enthusiasm in a person or group.
"The coach revved up the team with an inspiring speech before the final."
“
We need to rev up our base.
— Common expression used in US political commentary, e.g. CNN election coverage (2020)
separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To increase the pace, output, or intensity of a process or activity.
"The factory revved up production to meet the holiday demand."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To increase the revolutions (speed) of an engine upward.
Actually means
To make an engine roar louder, or to get yourself or others very excited and ready to go.
Usage tip
Literally refers to pressing the accelerator while stationary to raise engine RPM. Figuratively very common in informal American English to describe energizing a crowd, situation, or process. 'Rev' comes from 'revolution' (engine rotations per minute).
Words that pair with "rev up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
engine crowd economy production audience machine
How to conjugate "rev up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
rev up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
revs up
he/she/it
Past simple
reved up
yesterday
Past participle
reved up
have + pp
-ing form
reving up
continuous
Hear "rev up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "rev up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "rev up"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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