1 B2 idiomatic informal
(British informal) To increase a price, volume, or amount suddenly or dramatically.
"The landlord whacked up the rent by thirty percent without any warning."
separable
whack up
B2 informal separable transitive
To increase something, especially a price or level, by a large or sudden amount; or to divide and share something.
In plain English
To raise a price or amount by a lot; or to split something and share it between people.
What does "whack up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic informal
(British informal) To divide something and share it among people.
"They decided to whack up the winnings equally between the four of them."
separable
Usage tip
The 'increase' sense is primarily British informal and often carries a negative tone, implying an unwelcome or sudden rise. The 'divide and share' sense is also British and informal. Not used in formal writing.
Words that pair with "whack up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
price volume rent rate profits bill
How to conjugate "whack up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
whack up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
whacks up
he/she/it
Past simple
whacked up
yesterday
Past participle
whacked up
have + pp
-ing form
whacking up
continuous
Hear "whack up" in the wild
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