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rev up

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rev something up

to make an idling engine run very fast, in short bursts of power. Hey! Stop revving it up! I wish that Tom wouldn't sit out in front of our house in his car and rev up his engine.

See also: rev, up

rev up

to increase in amount or activity. Production revved up after the strike. We're hoping business will rev up soon.

See also: rev, up

rev up

Increase the speed or rate of, enliven, stimulate, as in Bill revved up the motor, or They looked for ways to rev up the ad campaign. The verb rev is an abbreviation for revolution, alluding to the rate of rotation of an engine. The idiom dates from about 1920 and has been used figuratively since the mid-1900s.

See also: rev, up

rev up

v. Slang

1. To make some engine work faster by injecting it with fuel: The mechanic revved up the engine before the race. We revved the engine up and sped off.

2. To work faster due to an injection of fuel: The old car's engine revved up when I pushed the accelerator.

3. To make someone or something more lively or productive: We had a pep rally to rev ourselves up for the game. The administration is making efforts to rev up the economy.

4. To increase in rate, amount, or activity: Production revved up after the war started.

5. To improve the quality of something: We need to add something to this batter to rev up the flavor. Those candles really revved up the festive atmosphere.

See also: rev, up