use up

verb

used up; using up; uses up

transitive verb

: to exhaust of strength or useful properties

land that has been used up

Synonyms of use up

• spend
• consume
• drain
• exhaust
• play out
• draw down
• run out of
• reduce
• use
• absorb
• burn

Examples of use up in a Sentence

we used up the last of the flour when we made the waffles

Recent Examples on the Web

The markets price in a number of other factors—most obviously the opposition’s advertising campaign, which will go largely unanswered because the proponents of Proposition 40 used up most of their cash to gather signatures to get it on the ballot. — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026

Large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons per day; a recent study modelling water use in African data centers found that ChatGPT-4 used up to 60 liters of water — or a standard washing machine cycle — to produce a 10-page paper. — Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026

If capital losses exceed gains, investors may generally use up to $3,000 of net capital losses to reduce ordinary income for the year, or $1,500 for married taxpayers filing separately. — Sharon Epperson, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Many families cannot afford to take the full allowable time off, using up sick or vacation time if available. — Megan Kuykendoll, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1712, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for use up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

Kids Definition

use up

verb

: to make complete use of : exhaust

used up all the supplies