ruffle up
B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
to make something look messy and not smooth
Meanings
1 B2 neutral
to make hair, feathers, fur, or cloth look untidy by moving it roughly
"The wind ruffled up her hair as she stepped outside."
Grammar: separable
2 C1
idiomatic
neutral
to stir up or slightly disturb someone or something
"The sudden question ruffled up the calm mood in the room."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Usually physical rather than strongly idiomatic. Can also suggest slight emotional disturbance in extended use, but that is much less common than with plain 'ruffle'.
Commonly used with
hair feathers fur blanket pillow shirt
Forms
Base
ruffle up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
ruffles up
he/she/it
Past simple
ruffled up
yesterday
Past participle
ruffled up
have + pp
-ing form
ruffling up
continuous
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Synonyms
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