Meaning & use
get up to
Last updated
Meanings
phrasetransitiveinformal
To do something, especially something slightly bad, mischievous, or secret.
Grammar: Takes an object: get up to something. Often used in questions: What have you been getting up to?
Patterns
- get up to something
- get up to no good
What have you been getting up to while I was away?
The kids are quiet—they must be getting up to something.
He's always getting up to mischief at school.
phrasetransitive
To reach a particular point or level, especially in a list or series.
Grammar: Takes an object: get up to page 50, get up to number 10.
Patterns
- get up to a number
- get up to a page
I've only got up to chapter three in the book.
The temperature got up to 40 degrees yesterday.
Word forms
| third person singular | gets up to |
|---|---|
| past tense | got up to |
| past participle | gotten up to |
| -ing form | getting up to |
Common combinations
- get up to no good
- Those two are always getting up to no good.
- get up to mischief
- The children get up to mischief when they're bored.
- get up to something
- I wonder what she's getting up to right now.
- get up to page
- We've got up to page 100 in the novel.
Synonyms and how they differ
- do
- Neutral and general; 'get up to' often implies something secret or mischievous, while 'do' does not.
- be up to
- Very similar in meaning and often interchangeable, but 'be up to' focuses on the current activity, not the process of getting there.
Commonly confused: get up to or get up?
get up to vs get up
'Get up' means to rise from bed or stand up. 'Get up to' is a different phrasal verb meaning to do something, often mischievous.
Practice
What does 'get up to' mean in the sentence: 'What did you get up to last weekend?'
Choose one answer.
Here 'get up to' means 'do', especially in an informal question about activities. It does not mean stand up, wake up, or climb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “get up to”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.