cosy up
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle up
Meanings
Try to become friendly with someone for your own benefit
Why “up”? You try to please someone, so they will like you, approve of you, or help you.
“The new supplier cosied up to the cafe owner.”
“Jay cosied up to the group before asking to join the project.”
Test yourself
“The new supplier cosied up to the cafe owner.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
butter up
Same up pattern: pleasing
Flatter someone so they will help you
kiss up
Same up pattern: pleasing
Try to gain favour by flattering someone
play up
Same up pattern: pleasing
Cause problems by misbehaving or malfunctioning; Act in a way that pleases someone or a group
suck up
Same up pattern: pleasing
Try to gain favour by flattering someone
Sink In — iOS & Android
Practice “cosy up” in Sink In
Drill “cosy up” and 1,300+ other phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by the particle patterns that connect them.
- Learn the pattern behind dozens of verbs at once — not one-off translations.
- Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
- Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
