ENGLISH
REFERENCE

settle up

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to pay the money you owe, especially after a meal or a trip with other people.

phr. v.. to pay a debt or a bill in full; often used in social contexts to describe the final resolution of shared expenses.


SIMPLE

Let's settle up for the pizza now.

CONTEXTUAL

After our weekend trip to the coast, we sat down to settle up and see who owed what.

COMPLEX

The business partners agreed to settle up their outstanding accounts before dissolving the company at the end of the fiscal year.

Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
settle + up (+ with + person) (+ for + thing)
Usage

often used with 'with' to indicate the person being paid or 'for' to indicate the item.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'pay back', which focuses on returning a loan; 'settle up' focuses on reaching a zero balance in a shared situation.

Pitfall

I will settle up you later.I will settle up with you later.the preposition 'with' is required when the object is a person.

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