1 C1 neutral
To seal or close an opening, doorway, or window permanently by building a wall across it.
"The old cellar entrance had been walled up decades ago."
separable
wall up
C1 neutral separable transitive
To seal an opening such as a doorway, window, or passage by filling it with bricks or a wall.
In plain English
Fill a door or window with bricks or plaster so you can't use it anymore.
What does "wall up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic neutral
(Historical/literary) To imprison someone by entombing them inside a wall or sealed chamber.
"In the story, the villain walls up his enemy alive inside the castle dungeon."
“
I had walled the monster up within the tomb!
— Edgar Allan Poe, 'The Black Cat', 1843
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To build a wall upward to fill a space.
Actually means
Fill a door or window with bricks or plaster so you can't use it anymore.
Usage tip
Often used in historical and Gothic contexts, including the macabre idea of entombing someone alive (as in Edgar Allan Poe's works). Also used in practical renovation/construction contexts.
Words that pair with "wall up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
doorway window entrance passage opening archway
How to conjugate "wall up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
wall up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
walls up
he/she/it
Past simple
walled up
yesterday
Past participle
walled up
have + pp
-ing form
walling up
continuous
Hear "wall up" in the wild
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Other ways to say "wall up"
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