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ring up

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ring someone up

to call someone on the telephone. I will ring her up when I get a chance. I have to ring up a whole list of people.

See also: ring, up

ring something up

to record the cost of an item on a cash register. Please ring this chewing gum up first, and I'll put it in my purse. The cashier rang up each item and told me how much money I owed.

See also: ring, up

ring up something

to earn or lose a particular amount of money His division, which employs about 300 people worldwide, rang up $50 million in sales last year.

See also: ring, up

ring up something

also ring something up

to record the prices of items being bought Their groceries had already been rung up at the cash register. If a sales clerk forgets to ring something up do you call it to his or her attention?

Usage notes: from pushing keys on an old-fashioned cash register (a machine that records a sale and stores the money received), which made a ringing sound

See also: ring, up

ring up

1. Record, especially by means of a cash register, as in They had already rung up the sale so I decided not to get the extra items. [c. 1930] Although older cash registers usually signaled a recorded sale with the ringing of a bell, the idiom survives in the age of computers.

2. Accomplish, achieve, as in They rang up an impressive string of victories.

See also: ring, up

ring up

v.

1. To record the sale of something, especially by using a cash register: She had already rung up the sale when I discovered that I didn't have enough money. I placed the items on the counter, and the cashier rang them up.

2. To record a sale to someone, especially by means of a cash register: I rang up the last two customers and closed the store. He can ring you up on the second register.

3. To call someone on the telephone: I'll ring you up this weekend. She rang up an old friend and asked him to dinner.

4. To amass some number or quantity of points or wins: They rang up seven consecutive victories before losing a game.

5. To amass some amount or quantity of credits or debits: The company rang up $2 billion in profits last year. With all the food that we ate, we rang a hefty bill up.

See also: ring, up