go up phrasal verb (see also go)

1. INCREASE to increase in price, amount, level etc:
Train fares have gone up.
Blood-sugar levels go up as you digest food.
go up by 10%/250/£900 etc
Unemployment in the country has gone up by a million.
go up from something to something
Spending on research went up from $426 million to $461 million.

2. BUILDING/SIGN if a building or sign goes up, it is built or fixed into place:
It was a lovely place before all these new houses went up.

3. EXPLODE/BURN to explode, or be destroyed in a fire:
He had left the gas on and the whole kitchen went up.
The whole building went up in flames. ⇒ go up in smoke at smoke¹(3)

4. SHOUT if a shout or a cheer goes up, people start to shout or cheer
go up from
A great cheer went up from the audience.

5. TO ANOTHER PLACE British English to go from one place to another, especially to a place that is further north, or to a town or city from a smaller place
go up to
We’re going up to Scotland next weekend.
He went up to the farm to get some eggs.

6. LIGHTS if lights go up, they become brighter:
when the lights went up at the end of the performance

7. UNIVERSITY British English formal old-fashioned to begin studying at a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge University

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

climb to move up, down, or across something using your hands and feet:
Most kids love climbing trees.
Several fans climbed onto the roof of the arena to get a better view.
She climbed down the ladder.
ascend formal to climb up something:
He began to ascend the narrow winding staircase.
the first man to ascend Mount Everest
go up to climb up something such as a slope or stairs:
He went up the steps to the platform.
Sonia was quiet as they went up the hill.
scale formal to climb to the top of something such as a high wall or fence:
Somehow the men had scaled the twenty-foot wall without setting off the alarm.
Protestors scaled the walls of the building and hung banners.
Rescuers had to scale a one-thousand-foot cliff before they could reach the injured climber.
clamber to climb somewhere with difficulty, using your hands to help you:
At last we saw the two girls clambering down the slope to safety.
Everyone clambered onto the back of the truck.
scramble to climb somewhere quickly and with difficulty, using your hands to help you, especially when you are walking:
They scrambled up the steep rocky bank.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

increase to become larger in number, amount, or degree:
Sales increased by 25%.
The level of violence has increased.
go up to increase. Go up is less formal than increase, and is the usual verb to use in everyday English:
The price of coffee has gone up.
rise to increase. Rise sounds a little formal and is often used when talking about the level of something increasing:
The demand for oil has been rising steadily.
Living standards have risen dramatically.
grow to increase, especially gradually over a period of time – used about numbers or amounts:
Since 1990, US imports of foreign goods have grown at a rate of 7.7% per year.
The number of people working from home has grown substantially.
escalate to increase to a high level – used about things that you do not want to increase such as costs, crimes, or violence:
Fuel prices are escalating.
The fighting has escalated.
double/triple to become twice as much or three times as much:
Since 1950, the number of people dying from cancer has almost doubled.
The company’s profits tripled last quarter.
expand to become larger in size, or to include a wider range of activities:
The business has expanded at a rate of 15% per year.
We are hoping to expand into mobile phone services.
soar to increase and reach a very high level – used about numbers and amounts, or about feelings:
The temperature soared to 36.6 degrees centigrade.
His confidence soared.
The singer’s popularity has soared.
shoot up to increase very quickly and suddenly – used about prices, numbers, or temperatures:
Share prices shot up 30% over the last week.
put something up to increase prices, taxes etc. Put up something is less formal than increase, and is the usual verb to use in everyday English:
The landlord has put the rent up again.
They’re always putting up gas prices.
raise to increase something such as prices or taxes, or levels or standards:
The bank has raised interest rates for the third time this year.
The school aims to raise students’ levels of achievement.
boost to increase sales, profits, production etc, especially when they have been lower than you want them to be:
Growing affluence has boosted sales.
Oil exports boosted the economy.
extend to increase something such as your power or influence, or the number of things you are involved in:
We are hoping to extend the range of services that we offer.
The company plans to extend its dominance of the world car market.
step up something to increase your efforts or activities, especially to change a situation:
Security has been stepped up following the bombing.
Local people have stepped up their campaign to prevent a prison being built in their neighbourhood.
heighten to increase a feeling or effect:
The attack has heightened concerns about racism in schools.
Hunger can heighten the effect that alcohol has on you.
maximize to increase something as much as possible:
Businesses try to maximize efficiency and cut costs.
To maximize the chances of a successful pregnancy, you should make sure that you eat well.
big/large
The company has announced a big increase in its profits for last year.
slight/small
Doctors have reported a slight increase in the number of deaths caused by the disease.
The temperature increase was quite small.
great (=big)
There has been a great increase in air traffic in the last twenty years.
huge/massive (=very big)
There was a huge increase in emigration after the war.
substantial/considerable formal (=quite big)
He negotiated a substantial increase in pay for the workers.
significant/marked (=definite and noticeable)
Over the last few years, there has been a marked increase in tourism to developing countries.
dramatic/sharp (=large and sudden)
What has led to this dramatic increase in prices?
rapid (=happening quickly)
Recently there has been a rapid increase in fish farming.
modest (=small)
The figures reveal a modest increase in the birth rate.
gradual (=happening slowly)
Her temperature chart showed a gradual increase over the preceding six hours.
steady (=happening slowly but continuously)
The university has benefited from a steady increase in student numbers.
a threefold/fourfold/fivefold etc increase (=an increase by three, four etc times)
The figures show a threefold increase in incidents of car theft.
a 10%/50% etc increase
A 5% increase in petrol prices is predicted.
an annual increase
The company reported a 10% increase in pre-tax profits.
lead to an increase
They argue that the abolition of the death penalty has led to an increase in the number of murders.
cause/bring about an increase
The heatwave brought about a massive increase in water consumption.
a price increase
We expect a price increase of 1.4% this year.
a fare increase
The airline instituted a 10% fare increase.
a wage/pay/salary increase
Canadian workers received a 5.4% wage increase.
a tax increase
The government had no choice but to impose a tax increase.
be on the increase (=be increasing)
Knife attacks are on the increase.
the rate of increase
The rate of increase in the number of violent crimes is much higher than under the previous government.
growth noun [singular, uncountable] an increase in the number, size, or importance of something. Growth is also used when saying that a company or a country’s economy becomes more successful:
The astonishing growth of the Internet has had a dramatic effect on people’s lives.
Japan experienced a period of rapid economic growth.
Many people are concerned about the enormous growth in the world’s population.
surge noun [countable usually singular] a sudden increase in something such as profits, demand, or interest:
There has been a big surge in demand for organically grown food.
We have seen a tremendous surge of interest in Chinese medicine.
gain noun [uncountable and countable] an increase in the amount or level of something - used especially in business or political contexts, or when talking about an increase in someone’s weight:
sales gains
The December job figures show a net gain of 81,000 jobs.
The party has experienced a gain in popularity.
The amount of weight gain during pregnancy varies.
hike noun [countable] informal especially American English a large or sudden increase in prices or taxes - often used in newspaper reports:
Despite a 25% hike in fuel costs, the airline made a profit last year.
tax hikes
wage hikes
explosion noun [countable] a sudden very large increase in the amount or number of something:
There has been an explosion in the number of fast food restaurants.
The country experienced a population explosion.
The book caused an explosion of interest in Renaissance Italy.
boom noun [singular] a sudden large increase in trade, profits or sales, with the result that a country, company, or industry becomes very successful. Boom is also used about a sudden increase in interest in something, with the result that it becomes very popular:
the German economic boom of the 1960s
the Internet boom
There has been a boom in sales of diet books and videos.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

go up
v.
1. To go or move higher; rise.
Many people came to watch the weather balloon go up.
The path goes up the hill.
2. To be able to become heard; become loud or louder.
A shout went up from the crowd at the game.
3. Grow in height while being built; to be built.
The new church is going up on the corner.
4. To increase.
Prices of fruit and vegetables have gone up.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲