Meaning & use
fixer upper
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A house or building in poor condition that is sold cheaply because the buyer will have to repair and improve it.
Grammar: Has a plural: fixer-uppers. Often described with an or the: a real fixer-upper.
Patterns
- buy a fixer-upper
- a fixer-upper of a house
They bought a fixer-upper near the lake and repaired it over three summers.
The listing called the cottage a fixer-upper with great potential.
Fixer-uppers are cheaper but they take patience and money.
nouncountablefigurativehumorous
Any object or business that needs a lot of repair or work to be worth having.
Grammar: Informal and extends the house sense to cars, boats and projects.
Patterns
- a fixer-upper of a car
His first car was a fixer-upper that leaked oil.
The failing restaurant was a fixer-upper, but the new owners saw promise.
She bought an old boat as a fixer-upper project.
Word forms
| plural | fixer-uppers |
|---|
Common combinations
- buy a fixer-upper
- We decided to buy a fixer-upper to save money.
- a real fixer-upper
- The farmhouse was a real fixer-upper.
- a fixer-upper with potential
- The agent described it as a fixer-upper with potential.
- renovate a fixer-upper
- They spent two years renovating a fixer-upper.
- fixer-upper project
- Every weekend was a fixer-upper project for the couple.
Synonyms and how they differ
- handyman's special
- This is a humorous real-estate phrase for a rundown house, while fixer-upper is the standard everyday word.
- project house
- Project house stresses the work ahead, while fixer-upper highlights the cheap price and chance to improve it.
- renovation project
- Renovation project may describe work on any building, whereas fixer-upper names a property bought because it needs work.
- wreck
- Wreck suggests a place too damaged to be worth saving, while a fixer-upper still has hopeful potential.
Opposites
Word family
- fix up phrasal verb
- to repair or improve something
- fixer noun
- a person who arranges or repairs things
- fix verb
- to repair something
- renovation noun
- the work of repairing and improving a building
Commonly confused: fixer upper or fixer?
fixer upper vs fixer
A fixer is someone who arranges things, often illegally or behind the scenes, while a fixer-upper is a property needing repair.
Practice
The house was cheap because it was a ____ with a leaking roof and broken windows.
Choose one answer.
A fixer-upper is a property needing repair, which matches the leaking roof. A showpiece or new build would not be cheap or damaged.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fixer upper”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.