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Glite Dictionary
to true up

to true up

8.4
To make something exactly straight and level, for example a wheel rim
  • phrasal verb
  • /truː ʌp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nivelar
  • I need to true up the frame of the door so it swings properly.

Examples

  • My parting tool has a bad tendency to drift to the left as I part off stock, so I needed a way to true up the wheels to be entirely flat on each side.

    Blog text (13)

  • I'll turn the camera out so you can see from this normal angle and I'm going to true up this face, true up that face.

  • All right, so now I'm going to true up these wheels and truing is a dark art.

  • Before finishing the project, we must true up the alignment of the chassis.

  • To ensure precision in the cut, I will true up the blade on the saw.

Synonyms

to flatten
vsto true up
23 2.6

Make something flat and smooth by pressing it

implies careful centering and balance rather than merely making surfaces flat
to even
vsto true up
22 2.5

To make something level or smooth

emphasizes precise mechanical balance and concentric alignment instead of general flattening
to even up
vsto true up
3 5.3

To make the edges of a pile of papers level and straight

applies to broader machine-level adjustments for exact balance and centering
to flush
vsto true up
3 6.1

To make one surface level with another

focuses on overall concentric or balanced adjustment beyond surface planes
to true
vsto true up
  • Specialized
1 8.4

To make something exactly straight or level

is the phrasal technical term for precise mechanical alignment
to square up
vsto true up
1 4.1

Make the edges and corners even and straight

targets exact concentric balance and technical leveling rather than corner shaping

Antonyms

crooked
69 3.6

Doing dishonest things to get money or power

uneven
42 2.3

Not smooth or level, with parts higher and lower

How Aligned

to perfect
118 3.9
to true up
  • Specialized
8.4
to align
89 3.5
to adjust
317 2.7
tweak
28 3.9

Surface Forms

true up infinitive
true upped past
true upped past participle
true upping present participle
true ups third person singular

Morphology

true + up

The sense 'to make something exactly level or aligned' is directly built from the verb 'true' (to adjust or align) plus the particle 'up' giving a sense of completion/intensification; the overall meaning is predictable from these parts. This verb+particle composition is a common, productively compositional pattern in English, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

True up comes from workshop and machine work. To make a wheel true meant to make it perfectly straight or round, and the up part shows finishing the job, so to true up means to make something exactly 'level' or 'balanced'.