Phrasal verb
big up
Definition
phrasal verb. to praise someone or something a lot to make them seem important or successful.
phrasal verb. to promote or praise someone or something enthusiastically; often used in informal or colloquial registers to build reputation or status.
Examples
“He always tries to big up his hometown.”
“The host took a moment to big up the local artists who helped organize the festival.”
“While the marketing team attempted to big up the new software's capabilities, the initial user reviews suggested a far more modest reality.”
Examples
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.”
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'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
big + up + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/big-up