Phrasal verb
budge up
Definition
phrasal verb. to move your body slightly to one side so that there is enough space for someone else to sit down.
phrasal verb. to shift one's position, typically while seated, to accommodate another person; used almost exclusively in informal, spoken contexts.
Examples
“Can you budge up so I can sit down?”
“The kids had to budge up on the sofa to make room for their grandmother.”
“If everyone on the bench would budge up just a fraction, we could probably fit the remaining passengers without anyone having to stand.”
Examples
simple
“Can you budge up so I can sit down?”
contextual
“The kids had to budge up on the sofa to make room for their grandmother.”
complex
“If everyone on the bench would budge up just a fraction, we could probably fit the remaining passengers without anyone having to stand.”
Usage
highly informal and usually used as an imperative or a polite request among friends.
Teaching tip
this is a British English colloquialism; contrast it with the more neutral 'make room' or the American 'scoot over'.
Pitfall
Budge up the chair.
Budge up so I can sit on the chair.
this phrasal verb is intransitive; you do not 'budge up' an object, you simply 'budge up' to create space.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
budge + up
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/budge-up