mount up
Definition
Verb: 1. To increase or accumulate to a significant level: To grow in amount, size, or intensity, often to a point that becomes noticeable, substantial, or problematic. 2. To get up on the back of an animal, especially a horse: To climb onto and position oneself on a horse or similar animal for riding.
Usage and Examples
- Verb (Meaning 1: To increase/accumulate):
- The evidence against him began to mount up.
- If you don't pay the bill, the interest charges will mount up quickly.
- Her anxiety mounted up as the exam date approached.
- Verb (Meaning 2: To get on a horse):
- The knight mounted up and rode toward the castle.
- We mounted up at dawn to begin the trail ride.
Advanced Usage
- "mount up to [something]": To reach a particular total or level.
- The company's losses mounted up to millions of dollars.
- The phrase often implies a gradual or steady increase over time, especially for the first meaning.
Variants and Related Words
- Mount (verb): The base form. Can mean to increase, to climb onto something, or to organize and launch (e.g., , ).
- Accumulate (verb): To gather or increase over time. A close synonym for the first meaning.
- Pile up (phrasal verb): To accumulate, often physically (e.g., work, laundry, cars in an accident).
Synonyms
- For "increase/accumulate": Accumulate, build up, grow, increase, pile up, escalate.
- For "get on a horse": Get on, climb onto, board (less common for animals).
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Mount up is itself a phrasal verb. The base verb "mount" can be used with other prepositions/adverbs (e.g., , ), but "mount up" is the standard phrasal form for these two primary meanings.
Related Idioms
- Mounting pressure/tension: Increasing pressure or tension.
- He resigned due to mounting pressure from the board.
- (To have) a mountain to climb: To have a very difficult task ahead. This idiom uses the related noun "mountain" and conveys the idea of a large, challenging accumulation of work or problems.
- After losing the first three games, the team has a mountain to climb to reach the playoffs.
Verb
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get up on the back of
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mount a horse
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