1 B1 neutral
To become fully ripe, especially of fruit or produce.
"Leave the avocados on the counter for a day and they'll ripen up nicely."
inseparable
ripen up
B1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To become fully ripe, or to help something reach the right level of ripeness.
In plain English
To get completely ripe and ready to eat, or to help fruit or something else reach that stage.
What does "ripen up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
To cause fruit or produce to reach the right stage of ripeness.
"You can ripen up mangoes faster by placing them in a paper bag."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
Transparent — to ripen fully or completely.
Actually means
To get completely ripe and ready to eat, or to help fruit or something else reach that stage.
Usage tip
Mainly used in agricultural and cooking contexts. 'Up' intensifies the verb, suggesting completion. Can be used transitively ('ripen up the bananas') or intransitively ('the tomatoes are ripening up'). Less common than plain 'ripen'.
Words that pair with "ripen up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
tomatoes bananas avocados fruit cheese grain
How to conjugate "ripen up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
ripen up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
ripens up
he/she/it
Past simple
ripened up
yesterday
Past participle
ripened up
have + pp
-ing form
ripening up
continuous
Hear "ripen up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "ripen up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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