power up

1 of 2

verb

powered up; powering up; powers up

transitive verb

: to cause to operate

power up the computer

power-up

2 of 2

noun

pow·​er-up ˈpau̇(-ə)r-ˌəp 

variants or less commonly powerup or power up

plural power-ups also powerups or power ups

1

: an item in a video game that makes a player's character more effective by enhancing an attribute (such as speed, health, or strength) or conferring an ability

… a bunch of power-ups at your disposal to help overcome the odds, including the Super Bell—which gives you catlike powers and the ability to climb walls.

—Jon Bitner

You can use the direction keys on your keyboard to navigate Pac-Man through the maze, gobbling up spheres and power ups while avoiding ghosts.

—Cassidy Ward

After you collect enough gems and level up, you're able to select another weapon or powerup.

—Kris Holt

2

: the act of beginning to operate or causing something to operate

The drive is instantly recognized and ready to go on power-up.

—Dwight Silverman

… on power up, the user will experience the most rapid start-up time ever …

—Business Wire

Examples of power up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Former Vice Media boss Bruce Dixon and Studios Co-President Danny Gabai told us Vice was coming back from the brink last year with a new $75M production finance facility that Vice says will power up to $500M in content spend over the next three to five years. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 17 Nov. 2025

This portable power station comes with a 3072Wh capacity and can power up your big items such as your fridge, fan, wifi router, and more. —PC Magazine, 13 Nov. 2025

Noun

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 feels like a real-life power-up. —PC Magazine, 22 Nov. 2025

This time the player is building up a vehicle more methodically, entering short challenges that reflect the other modes in the game to gain specific power-ups. —Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1970, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1979, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for power up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

Kids Definition

power up

verb

: to cause to operate

power up the computer