Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

buff up

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.59 in modern English

Syllables: buf-f up
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Transitive verb

verb

To shine; to make shiny.

Transitive verb

verb

To become more muscular.

Intransitive verb

verb

To study hard to learn a particular subject.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"[…] Mr. Kurz was quickly seen in Europe as the poster boy of an ascendant right for a new generation, a political Wunderkind who had salvaged conservatism by borrowing the far right’s agenda, buffing it up and bringing it into the mainstream."
"I'll need to buff up on my Italian before my trip to Genoa."

Usage

Inflected Forms

buffs up (present, singular) buffing up (participle, present) buffed up (participle, past) buffed up (past)

Synonyms

cram

Questions

What does buff up mean?: To improve.

How to pronounce buff up

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “buff up”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “buff up”.
Repeat and practice — Say “buff up” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.