AAAmerican Accent US

think 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: think UP. Saying “THINK up” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

Link across the gap. The final /k/ of “think” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “think up” is said “thin-kup”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.

What it means

  1. To invent an idea, name or excuse.

    • “Who thought up that slogan?”
    • “He thought up an excuse on the spot.”

    Similar: invent, devise

The particle logic

up

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

Listen + practice

Hear “think up” spoken naturally

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More THINK phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

think over

To consider something carefully before deciding.

think through

To consider all the consequences of something.

think about

To consider something, or to have it in your mind.

think up — meaning, examples & how to say it