eat up

Separable

The object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: eat UP. Saying “EAT up” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

The /t/ flaps. Between vowels, American /t/ and /d/ both become a quick tap, so “eat up” comes out as “ea-dup” — closer to a fast D than a T. Drop a pronoun in the middle and it flaps twice: “eat it up” → “ea-di-dup”.

2 meanings

1
To finish all of your food.
- “Eat up — we're leaving in ten minutes.”
- “He ate it all up without complaint.”
Similar: finish
2
To consume a resource quickly.
- “The commute eats up two hours of my day.”
Similar: consume, devour

The particle logic

Something is finished, raised, improved, or brought together.

Listen + practice

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More EAT phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

eat out

To have a meal at a restaurant rather than at home.

eat into

To gradually consume or erode something, especially savings or time.

eat up — meaning, examples & how to say it