shoot up
To grow very fast upward, or to shoot guns everywhere in a place, or to inject illegal drugs
Meanings
To grow very quickly upward in height, or for prices/numbers to rise dramatically in a short time
"He shot up over the summer — he must have grown ten centimetres."
To attack a place or group of people by firing guns rapidly and indiscriminately
"Gunmen shot up the café before escaping on motorcycles."
(Slang) To inject an illegal drug intravenously
"He had been shooting up in the park bathrooms for years before he finally sought help."
Three distinct senses: (1) rapid growth/increase — very common in everyday language; (2) attacking a location with gunfire — used in news and action contexts; (3) injecting drugs intravenously — this is slang and considered offensive/sensitive in polite contexts.
Commonly used with
Forms
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