to start up
86
3.0
- phrasal verb
- /ˈstɑrt ʌp/
- Go to the control room and start her up.
- start up again
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Watch on YouTubeI am so tired just starting up the wagon.
- I am so tired just starting up the wagon.
- A grill won't even start up because you can't compete with a sun.
- So take a listen to McLaren's latest power plant starting up.
- So blue speed starts up and we say match it with the red.
- And whether it starts up again or not, I certainly hope not.
Examples
-
Start that thing up.
-
Sturges: All right, Sergeant, see if you can start her up.
-
Do you want to start it up or OK, I can.
-
Hey, we should start this thing up.
-
You want to start it up?
-
Immediately, she starts it up and tells him it will take half an hour.
Fiction book (1995) -
Oh, just one second, I'll get this thing started up for you.
-
You just start up the app, click one button, and that's it.
-
Not satisfied, Castor starts it up again, running the timer down to four seconds.
Fiction book (1997) -
Carefully follow the instructions to start up the computer in safe mode.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To begin an action, event or process
∞
1.0
To start an activity, event, or speech
723
1.0
To make a machine or device start working
347
4.5
To start something such as a project or discussion
168
3.5
To start an event or activity, often officially
144
2.5
Start to work, like lights or heating
136
1.1
Start working, like lights or an alarm
57
1.6
To make a device like a light start working by pressing a button or moving a switch
57
3.5
Turn on a computer or other device so it starts working
46
4.5
To start a computer and load its operating system
38
3.8
To make a stopped activity or project begin again with energy
30
3.5
To start working after being switched on
16
4.2
Help a project, plan, or the economy begin quickly
11
4.7
To make something begin or become active quickly and with energy
9
4.4
To start a machine by turning a handle
7
5.5
Start a computer's operating system so it can run
4
3.8
To start something quickly and give it extra energy to grow
2
8.1
To start a machine or computer so it is ready to use
1
5.2
Start a computer system or service so it is ready to use
1
8.0
To set up a device or program so it is ready to use
1
3.3
Start a computer by loading the program that runs it
Antonyms
How Active
∞
2.2
- Specialized
30
3.5
86
3.0
- Specialized
46
4.5
57
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'start' clearly conveys 'begin' and the particle 'up' commonly adds a sense of initiation, activation, or bringing something into operation, so the idea of launching or getting a business/project going is largely derivable from the constituents. However, the conventionalized use for 'establishing a business' and the nuance contributed by 'up' (activation vs. simple beginning) are somewhat idiomatic and may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
Start up: The phrasal verb start up comes from the image of making a machine come to life: you turn a key or press a button and the machine starts, and the up shows it moves from off to on. So it means 'to begin operating'.