heat up

phrasal verb·1 sense·particle up

Usefulness

Meanings

1

Make something hotter

Why “up”? More of something is higher. Quantity, intensity and speed all rise.

A cafe worker heated up Maya's soup while Leo watched their shopping bags.
A cafe worker made Maya's soup hot again.
Maya heated up some soup for dinner after work.
Maya made some soup hotter for dinner.
He heated up the milk for the baby.
He warmed the milk until it was hot for the baby.

Test yourself

A cafe worker heated up Maya's soup while Leo watched their shopping bags. What does it mean?

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