Meaning & use
gen up
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitiveBritishinformal
to learn all the important facts about something, usually quickly and before you need them.
Grammar: Often used in the passive with on or about: I got genned up on the rules. As an active verb it takes an object: gen yourself up on the schedule.
Patterns
- gen up on something
- gen yourself up on something
- be genned up on something
- gen up before something
She genned up on the company before her interview.
Give me ten minutes to gen up on the figures before the meeting starts.
We were all genned up on the new safety rules by the end of the morning.
noununcountableBritishinformal
the information you need about a subject, especially when it is useful or inside knowledge.
Grammar: Mainly in British informal speech, often in the phrase 'give someone the gen'. It is not used with 'a' or in the plural.
Patterns
- the gen on something
- give someone the gen
- get the gen
Ask Priya for the gen on the new manager.
He gave me the gen on which trains are actually running today.
Word forms
| third person singular | gens up |
|---|---|
| past tense | genned up |
| past participle | genned up |
| -ing form | genning up |
Common combinations
- gen up on the details
- I need to gen up on the details before I sign anything.
- gen yourself up
- Gen yourself up on the visa rules before you book the flight.
- be genned up on something
- By Friday we were fully genned up on the new software.
- give someone the gen
- Can you give me the gen on tonight's rehearsal?
- get the gen
- I got the gen from a colleague who used to work there.
Synonyms and how they differ
- swot up
- British informal and very close in meaning, but it stresses studying hard, often for a test, rather than simply gathering facts.
- brief
- More neutral and formal; it means someone else gives you the facts, while 'gen up' usually means you find them out yourself.
- familiarize yourself
- Neutral and formal, and it fits writing better than the chatty 'gen up'.
Word family
- gen noun
- British informal for information or inside knowledge.
Commonly confused: gen up or gen?
gen up vs gen
'Gen' is the noun for the information itself, while 'gen up' is the verb for getting it: get the gen, but gen up on the rules.
Practice
Before the exam, Maya decided to ______ the topics she had missed.
Choose one answer.
'Gen up on something' is the fixed pattern for the subject you study. 'Gen up' alone needs a reflexive or an object already, and 'with' and 'to' do not follow this verb in this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gen up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.