use up
A2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
Use all of something until there's none left.
Meanings
1 A2 neutral
To consume or exhaust a supply of something completely.
"The campers used up all the firewood on the first night."
Grammar: separable
2 B1
idiomatic
neutral
To exhaust someone's energy, patience, or time completely.
"Dealing with complaints all day really uses up my emotional energy."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Very common in everyday English. Often used with consumable resources: food, time, money, energy. Stresses the idea of complete consumption — nothing remains after the action. 'Use something up' is separable: 'use it up'.
Commonly used with
energy budget resources time supplies battery
Forms
Base
use up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
uses up
he/she/it
Past simple
used up
yesterday
Past participle
used up
have + pp
-ing form
using up
continuous
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Synonyms
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