Meaning & use
sure up
Last updated
Meaning
verbphrasal verbinformalAmerican
To strengthen or support something that is weak, uncertain or at risk of failing.
Grammar: Takes an object, which can go between the words or after up: sure up the plan.
Patterns
- sure something up
- sure up something
The coach wants to sure up the defense before the playoffs.
They are trying to sure up their finances.
He used extra beams to sure up the old porch.
Word forms
| third person | sures up |
|---|---|
| past tense | sured up |
| -ing form | suring up |
Common combinations
- sure up the defense
- The team signed a new player to sure up the defense.
- sure up support
- The mayor tried to sure up support before the vote.
- sure up your finances
- Use the bonus to sure up your finances.
- sure up a foundation
- Workers had to sure up the foundation.
- sure up an argument
- She added data to sure up her argument.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shore up
- Shore up is the standard older form and is preferred in careful writing.
- strengthen
- Strengthen is neutral and general, whereas sure up is informal and suggests propping up something shaky.
- bolster
- Bolster is more formal and often used for confidence, support or defenses.
- firm up
- Firm up suggests making plans or numbers definite rather than just stronger.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: sure up or shore up? sure up or make sure?
sure up vs shore up
Shore up is the established spelling of the idiom; sure up is a variant that many editors treat as an error.
sure up vs make sure
Make sure means check or confirm; sure up means strengthen.
Practice
The city plans to ___ the old bridge before the winter storms arrive.
Choose one answer.
Shore up means strengthen something weak, the standard form of this idiom. Show up, shut up and stand up have different meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sure up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.