1 C1 idiomatic informal
To eat something very quickly and greedily (non-standard; 'wolf down' is strongly preferred).
"The children wolfed up the cake before the adults had even sat down."
separable
wolf up
C1 informal separable transitive
A rare non-standard variant meaning to eat something very quickly and greedily.
In plain English
To eat something really fast (not commonly used — 'wolf down' is what most people say).
What does "wolf up" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To eat like a wolf, 'up' suggesting complete consumption.
Actually means
To eat something really fast (not commonly used — 'wolf down' is what most people say).
Usage tip
Extremely rare and not part of standard dictionaries. Learners should use 'wolf down' instead. Occasionally heard in very informal speech in some regions. May cause confusion with native speakers.
Words that pair with "wolf up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
food meal snack
How to conjugate "wolf up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
wolf up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
wolfs up
he/she/it
Past simple
wolfed up
yesterday
Past participle
wolfed up
have + pp
-ing form
wolfing up
continuous
Hear "wolf up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "wolf up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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