vacuum up
B1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
Pick up dirt with a vacuum cleaner, or take in a lot of something quickly.
Literal meaning: To collect and remove particles using a vacuum cleaner's suction.
Meanings
1 A2 neutral
To clean by removing dirt, dust, or debris with a vacuum cleaner.
"She vacuumed up the biscuit crumbs from the carpet before the guests arrived."
Grammar: separable
2 B2
idiomatic
informal
To absorb or consume large amounts of something, such as money, resources, or talent, in a rapid and complete way.
"Big technology companies are vacuuming up engineering graduates from top universities."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Literal use is very common in household contexts. Metaphorical use is increasingly common in business and economics to describe companies or entities rapidly absorbing resources, talent, or market share.
Commonly used with
dust crumbs talent profit market share funds
Forms
Base
vacuum up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
vacuums up
he/she/it
Past simple
vacuumed up
yesterday
Past participle
vacuumed up
have + pp
-ing form
vacuuming up
continuous
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Synonyms
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