soup up

verb

souped up; souping up; soups up

transitive verb

1
: to increase the power, efficiency, or performance of
soup up an engine
Some cars souped up with customized engines and suspensions may be uninsurable through standard policies.Consumer Reports
… the giant particle accelerator at CERN, near Geneva, had been souped up until it could achieve the energy required to test the contention of the electroweak theory that neutral intermediate vector bosons actually exist.Timothy Ferris
2
: to heighten the impact of : to make more exciting or colorful
The ads you've seen are for old cold remedies that have been souped up and given a new marketing spin.Joe and Teresa Graedon
But she's doing what Kirstein accuses the dilettantes of doing—souping up her performance with ballet stylization.Arlene Croce

Examples of soup up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That same engine powers the top-end Dark Horse model, but is souped up to 500 hp (368 kW). Aaron Turpen, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2024 But his passion for souping up classic cars would also eventually take a professional turn. Spencer Elliott, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024 Hurricane Milton, like Hurricane Helene before it, is souped up on hot water in the Gulf of Mexico. Justine Calma, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2024 Elordi, who was announced as a brand ambassador in May, chose a tomato-colored Andiamo carry-all to soup up his speckled cardi and white basics for the presentation. Alice Newbold, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2024 Gather ’round this souped up conversation set, which comes with four armchairs, two loveseats, and two coffee tables. Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2024 How is his Dodge Ram souped up with state-of-the-art technology? Elise Taylor, Vogue, 1 Aug. 2024 The surreal joke of seeing a purple monster stroll through a homeless encampment or a Studio 60–esque nightclub becomes less interesting the more Eric relies on it to soup up an otherwise leaden story. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 26 July 2024 At this point, both Samsung and Apple are looking to AI as a way to soup up their mobile devices and wearables. Adriana Lee, WWD, 15 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

soup (drug injected into a racehorse to improve its performance)

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of soup up was in 1924

Dictionary Entries Near soup up

Cite this Entry

“Soup up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soup%20up. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.

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