Idiom idiom
rev up
Meaning
To increase the speed of an engine, especially that of a stationary motor car.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He likes to rev up his car engine at the stoplight.”
“The driver decided to rev up the engine to make sure it was running smoothly before the long trip.”
“As the race was about to begin, the drivers started to rev up their engines, creating a deafening roar that echoed across the stadium.”
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026