1 B1 informal
To add salt to food while cooking or preparing it.
"Make sure you salt up the pasta water properly before you put the pasta in."
separable
salt up
B2 informal separable transitive
To add salt to something, especially food, or to treat a surface such as a road with salt.
In plain English
To put salt on something, like food or an icy road.
What does "salt up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 neutral
To spread salt on an icy road or pathway to prevent slipping.
"The council workers were out at 4 a.m. salting up the main roads before the morning rush."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To increase the salt level of something — transparent.
Actually means
To put salt on something, like food or an icy road.
Usage tip
Informal and not particularly common in standard usage. Can refer to seasoning food or treating roads and paths in winter. Less formal than 'salt down'.
Words that pair with "salt up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
road pavement food pasta meat water
How to conjugate "salt up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
salt up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
salts up
he/she/it
Past simple
salted up
yesterday
Past participle
salted up
have + pp
-ing form
salting up
continuous
Hear "salt up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "salt up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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