ENGLISH
REFERENCE

big up

phr. v..
C1 Advanced Oxford

phr. v.. to praise someone or something a lot to make them seem important or successful.

phr. v.. to promote or praise someone or something enthusiastically; often used in informal or colloquial registers to build reputation or status.


SIMPLE

He always tries to big up his hometown.

CONTEXTUAL

The host took a moment to big up the local artists who helped organize the festival.

COMPLEX

While the marketing team attempted to big up the new software's capabilities, the initial user reviews suggested a far more modest reality.

Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
big + up + object
Usage

highly informal and often associated with British slang or urban dialects.

Teaching tip

this phrase is excellent for teaching register; contrast it with formal synonyms like 'extol' or 'promote' to show how social context dictates word choice.

Pitfall

He bigged up to his friend.He bigged up his friend.this is a transitive phrasal verb and requires a direct object without an extra preposition like 'to'.

© 2026 English Reference