1 A2 idiomatic informal
To heat food quickly in a microwave oven.
"Just zap up the leftovers for a few minutes and dinner is ready."
separable
zap up
B1 informal separable transitive
To heat food quickly in a microwave; or to make something more exciting, powerful, or energetic.
In plain English
To make something hot quickly in a microwave, or to make something more exciting and full of energy.
What does "zap up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
To make something more exciting, energetic, or visually striking.
"They hired a designer to zap up the look of their website."
separable
Usage tip
The microwave sense is very common in informal everyday English, especially American English. The 'make more exciting' sense is less common. 'Zap' on its own already means to use a microwave; 'zap up' adds a sense of completeness or intensification.
Words that pair with "zap up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
food leftovers soup meal design presentation
How to conjugate "zap up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
zap up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
zaps up
he/she/it
Past simple
zaped up
yesterday
Past participle
zaped up
have + pp
-ing form
zaping up
continuous
Hear "zap up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "zap up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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