buck ups

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableinformal

   Small mistakes or problems that need to be corrected, especially in a plan or piece of work.

   Grammar: Usually used in the plural. Often appears in the phrase 'a few buck-ups'.

   Patterns

   • a few buck-ups
   • some buck-ups
   • fix the buck-ups

   There were a few buck-ups in the schedule, but we finished on time.

   The report had some buck-ups that needed fixing before the meeting.

   We had a couple of buck-ups with the booking, but the hotel sorted them out.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   Acts of cheering someone up or making them feel more confident.

   Grammar: Less common than the 'mistake' sense. Usually plural and often used with 'give'.

   Patterns

   • give someone buck-ups
   • need a few buck-ups

   She gave me a few buck-ups when I was feeling down.

   After a bad day, a few buck-ups from friends can really help.

Word forms

Common combinations

a few buck-ups

There were a few buck-ups in the travel plans.

fix the buck-ups

The editor fixed the buck-ups in the article.

some buck-ups

We had some buck-ups with the order, but it arrived.

give someone buck-ups

He gave me some buck-ups before the interview.

Synonyms and how they differ

mistakes

A general word for things done wrong; 'buck-ups' is more informal and often suggests small, fixable problems.

snags

Small problems that cause delay; 'buck-ups' often suggests mistakes rather than just delays.

Word family

buck up phrasal verb

To become more cheerful or to make someone more cheerful.

Commonly confused: buck ups or backups?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “buck ups”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words