Meaning & use
smarten up
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To make yourself or someone look neater and more stylish.
Grammar: Can be used with an object (smarten up your outfit) or without (you need to smarten up). Often used with a reflexive pronoun: smarten yourself up.
Patterns
- smarten up
- smarten someone up
- smarten yourself up
You should smarten up before the interview.
He smartened himself up with a clean shirt and tie.
She smartened up her hair with a new style.
verbintransitive
To start behaving more seriously and sensibly.
Grammar: No object; often used as an order or warning: smarten up!
Patterns
- smarten up
- smarten up your act
The teacher told the class to smarten up and pay attention.
If you don't smarten up, you'll fail the course.
Word forms
| third person singular | smartens up |
|---|---|
| past tense | smartened up |
| past participle | smartened up |
| -ing form | smartening up |
Common combinations
- smarten up your act
- You need to smarten up your act if you want to keep this job.
- smarten yourself up
- Go and smarten yourself up before dinner.
- smarten up a room
- A fresh coat of paint will smarten up the room.
- need to smarten up
- He really needs to smarten up his appearance.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spruce up
- More common in American English and often used for places or things, not people.
- tidy up
- Focuses on making something neat and orderly, not necessarily stylish.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: smarten up or smarten?
smarten up vs smarten
'Smarten' alone is rare; the phrasal verb 'smarten up' is the usual form.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'smarten up' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Smarten up' is used without a preposition to mean improve your appearance. 'Before' is the correct time word here; 'for', 'to', and 'on' do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “smarten up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.