1 B1 idiomatic informal
To grow very quickly upward in height, or for prices/numbers to rise dramatically in a short time
"He shot up over the summer — he must have grown ten centimetres."
shoot up
B1 informal separable transitive/intransitive
To grow or rise very rapidly, to attack a place with gunfire, or (slang) to inject drugs
In plain English
To grow very fast upward, or to shoot guns everywhere in a place, or to inject illegal drugs
What does "shoot up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
To attack a place or group of people by firing guns rapidly and indiscriminately
"Gunmen shot up the café before escaping on motorcycles."
separable
3 C1 idiomatic slang
(Slang) To inject an illegal drug intravenously
"He had been shooting up in the park bathrooms for years before he finally sought help."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To shoot in an upward direction — partly transparent for the growth sense
Actually means
To grow very fast upward, or to shoot guns everywhere in a place, or to inject illegal drugs
Usage tip
Three distinct senses: (1) rapid growth/increase — very common in everyday language; (2) attacking a location with gunfire — used in news and action contexts; (3) injecting drugs intravenously — this is slang and considered offensive/sensitive in polite contexts.
Words that pair with "shoot up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
prices height child heroin building neighbourhood
How to conjugate "shoot up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
shoot up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
shoots up
he/she/it
Past simple
shooted up
yesterday
Past participle
shooted up
have + pp
-ing form
shooting up
continuous
Hear "shoot up" in the wild
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Keep exploring
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