use up

verb

used up; using up; uses up

transitive verb

: to exhaust of strength or useful properties

land that has been used up

Synonyms of use up

• spend
• consume
• drain
• exhaust
• play out
• draw down
• run out of
• reduce
• use
• absorb
• burn

Examples of use up in a Sentence

we used up the last of the flour when we made the waffles

Recent Examples on the Web

Didymo blooms use up a lot of oxygen and alter the food web, according to Taylor. — Hannah Smith july 25, Idaho Statesman, 25 July 2026

In the mid-1920s, Lebanese immigrant Shikrey Baddour partnered with George Moore, a sailor from Wilmington who also had experience working at a pickle plant, to use up a local surplus of cucumbers. — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 23 July 2026

This prevents me from selling my home as planned, forcing me to use up my savings for my relocation to a different home. — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 23 July 2026

Emily Weinstein, a researcher at the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard, says some students are using up to seven different apps to manage everything from grades to sports team schedules. — Charlotte Hu, Time, 22 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1712, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for use up

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

Kids Definition

use up

verb

: to make complete use of : exhaust

used up all the supplies