1 B1 neutral
To add sauce to a dish or food to improve its flavour or presentation.
"He sauced up the grilled chicken with a homemade garlic and herb drizzle."
separable
sauce up
B2 informal separable transitive
To add sauce to food; informally, to make something more interesting, exciting, or risqué.
In plain English
To put sauce on food, or to make something more exciting or daring.
What does "sauce up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To make something more exciting, entertaining, or bold, sometimes with a slightly provocative edge.
"The director sauced up the otherwise dull documentary with some dramatic re-enactments."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To put sauce up onto food — fairly transparent for the culinary sense.
Actually means
To put sauce on food, or to make something more exciting or daring.
Usage tip
The culinary sense is straightforward. The informal figurative sense can imply making something racier or more entertaining, sometimes with a slightly cheeky tone.
Words that pair with "sauce up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
pasta dish presentation story performance meal
How to conjugate "sauce up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
sauce up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
sauces up
he/she/it
Past simple
sauced up
yesterday
Past participle
sauced up
have + pp
-ing form
saucing up
continuous
Hear "sauce up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "sauce up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.