Stick up

stick up & sticks up sticking up stuck up stuck up

1. stick... up p.v. When you use a gun or other weapon to rob people, banks, or stores, youstick themup. Hold up is the same asstick up.

Call the police! They'resticking up the bank.

If we need some money, we can alwaysstick up a liquor store.

stickup n. When someone uses a gun or other weapon to rob a person, bank, or store, there is astickup. A holdup is the same as astickup.

A man wearing a ski mask yelled, "This is astickup!"

The detective was asking questions aboutthe stickup last night.

2. stick... up p.v. When you put something, such as a picture, sign, or notice, in a place where people can see it, youstick itup.

Samstuck a noticeup about his lost dog.

I'm going tostick these "no smoking" signsup all over the school.

3. stick... up p.v. When you push something inside a container or space that is long and narrow, youstick itup.

We had to take Susie to the emergency room after shestuck a paper clipup her nose.

Markstuck his handup the chimney to try to find the hidden key.

4. stick up p.v. When something long and narrow is raised above the surface, it sticks up.

Be careful walking around a construction site — there might be anailsticking up.

My hair wassticking up in the back after / woke up from my nap.

stuck-up part.adj. [informal — although the participle adjectivestuck-up derives from stick up, the verb form is never used in this sense] When you think you are better than other people because you are more beautiful or more intelligent or because you come from a higher level of society, you arestuck-up.

Heather is the most popular girl in the school, but she isn'tstuck-up.

They're sostuck-up — they'll never sit at our table.

Infinitive
	present tense	-ing form	past tense	past participle
use up
	use up & uses up	using up	used up	used up

1. use... up p.v. When you use up something, you use all of it.

After youuse somethingup, be sure to write it on the grocery list.

Iused up all the glue; we need to buy more.

used up part.adj. After all of something has been used, it isused up.

Do we have another tube of toothpaste in the house? This one'sused up.

wind up
	wind up & winds up	winding up	wound up	wound up

1. wind ...up p.v. When you turn the handle or key of a mechanical toy, watch, or clock to make it operate, youwind itup.

/ overslept because I forgot towind up my alarm dock. This toy doesn't use batteries; you have towind itup.

wound up part.adj. After someone turns the handle or key of a mechanical toy, watch, or clock, it iswound up.

The toy soldier iswound up. Just push the button to make it walk.

What is wrong with this watch? It'swound up, but it still doesn't work.

wound up part.adj. When you are nervous or tense, you arewound up.

Don't even talk to Joe today. He's reallywound up.

I'm feeling reallywound up — I need a drink.

2. wind up p.v. When you say that someone or somethingwinds up a certain way orwinds up doing something, you mean that this situation was the result of a series of decisions, actions, or unplanned and unexpected occurrences.End up is similar towind up.

We got totally lost andwound up 100 miles from the campground.

If you don't start driving more carefully, you're going towind up dead.

3. wind ... up p.v. When youwind up an activity or event, you finish it or get ready to finish it.Wrap up is similar towind up.

The detectivewound up her investigation and made several arrests.

We'd betterwind thingsup here; it's getting late.

4. wind ... up p.v. When you wrap something long, such as an electrical cord, rope, string, or measuring tape, around and around so that it is in a ball or on a spool, you wind itup.

That's enough fishing for today. Let'swind up our lines and go home.

The firefighterswound up their fire hoses and went back to the station.

wound up part.adj. When you wrap something long, such as an electrical cord, rope, or measuring tape, around and around so that it is in a ball or on a spool, it is wound up.

This rope is a mess. You should keep itwound up.

This electrical cord is realtywound up tight.