fill up the tank

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiom

   to put fuel into a vehicle's tank until it is full.

   Grammar: Often used with 'with': fill up the tank with petrol/diesel.

   Patterns

   • fill up the tank with something
   • fill up the tank at a place

   We need to fill up the tank before we leave.

   He stopped at the gas station to fill up the tank.

   She filled up the tank with diesel.

2. 2phraseidiom

   to completely fill a container, especially a tank, with a liquid or gas.

   Grammar: Can be used for any tank, not just vehicles: fill up the tank with water.

   Patterns

   • fill up the tank with something

   Please fill up the tank with water for the plants.

   The workers filled up the tank with chemicals.

   He filled up the tank before the long journey.

Common combinations

fill up the tank with petrol

I filled up the tank with petrol at the station.

fill up the tank at a gas station

We filled up the tank at the gas station on the highway.

fill up the tank before a trip

Always fill up the tank before a long trip.

Synonyms and how they differ

top up

Means to add a little fuel to make the tank full again, not necessarily from empty.

refuel

More formal and general; can refer to filling any vehicle or aircraft with fuel.

Commonly confused: fill up the tank or fill in?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “fill up the tank”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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