# buy up

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/buy-up
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

To buy all of something that is available, or as much as you can get. You use this when someone wants to own everything in a store or a market.

For teachers: To purchase the entire supply of something or as much as is available. Transitive; often implies a strategic or aggressive acquisition of assets or goods.

## Examples

- The company wants to buy up all the small shops in town.
- When the news of the shortage broke, people rushed to the supermarket to buy up all the bottled water.
- Speculators began to buy up vast tracts of land in the developing district, anticipating a significant surge in property values once the new transit hub opened.

## Pitfalls

- Not "They bought up to all the tickets." but "They bought up all the tickets." — The phrasal verb is transitive and takes the object directly without the preposition 'to'.

## Usage notes

- Usually takes a direct object, often plural nouns or uncountable nouns like 'land' or 'stock'.
- Teaching tip: Contrast with 'buy'; 'buy up' emphasizes the quantity or the intent to leave nothing for others.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.