Clear up

clear up & clears up clearing up cleared up cleared up

1. clear up p.v. When a problem, misunderstanding, or disease goes away, it clears up.

The misunderstanding cleared up right away after we talked about it.

My rash is clearing up by itself. I don't need to go to the doctor.

cleared up part.adj. After a problem, misunderstanding, or disease goes away, it is cleared up.

/ feel great. My sinus infection is all cleared up.

Everything's okay. It was a big misunderstanding, but it's cleared up now.

2. clear... up p.v. When you do something to solve a problem or misunderstanding or do something to cure a disease, you clear it up.

Everyone was confused about the new policy, so a memo was issued that cleared everything up.

The medicine Dr. Smith gave me cleared the infection up.

3. clear up p.v. When clouds in the sky go away, the weather clears up.

Unless it clears up, we'll have to cancel the picnic.

It was a beautiful day after the sky cleared up.

1. count... up p.v. When you count all of something to see how many of them there are, you count them up.

Count the money up and tell me what the total is.

Counting up the yes and no votes is going to take a long time.

Eat up

eat up & eats up eating up ate up eaten up

1. eat... up p.v. When you eat food up, you eat all of it.

There's no more pizza; David ate it all up. Don't eat up the cake before your father gets a piece.

2. eat... up p.v. When something eats up something else, such as money or time, it uses all of it.

I'm broke. Fixing my car last week ate up my entire paycheck.

I don't want to go shopping with you. It'll eat up the whole day.

Heat up

heat up & heats up heating up heated up heated up

1. heat...up p.v. When something or someone makes something hotter, they heat it up.

Waiter, this soup is cold. Would you heat it up for me?

Sometimes the sun heats up the desert to 120 degrees.

heated up part.adj. After something or someone makes something hotter, it is heated up.

Don't give the baby that cold bottle; give her this heated up one.

The spaghetti has been in the microwave for five minutes, so I'm sure it's heated up by now.

Pay up

pay up & pays up paying up paid up paid up

1. pay up p.v. When you pay up, you pay all the money you owe to a person, bank, and so on, usually as a result of pressure to pay the money.

A guy from the collection agency called and told me I'd better pay up.

I wasn't surprised when the insurance company refused to pay up.

paid up part.adj. After you are paid up, you have paid all the money you owe to a person, bank, and so on.

/ told the bill collector that he had made a mistake. I'm alt paid up.

Betty's VISA card is paid up, so there won't be any finance charge next month.