soup up
Definition
Verb (transitive) 1. To modify (especially a vehicle or engine) to increase its power, speed, or performance. - This involves making mechanical alterations, such as adding a turbocharger or modifying the engine, to enhance performance beyond the original factory specifications.
Usage
The verb "soup up" is used to describe the action of enhancing a machine's capabilities. It is almost always used with vehicles (cars, motorcycles) or their engines. It is an informal, colloquial term. * The object of the verb is the thing being modified (e.g., the car, the engine). * It is often used in the past tense ("souped up") to describe the modified state of the object.
Examples
- He spent all summer souping up his old motorcycle.
- That car has been souped up with a new engine and racing tires.
- They soup up their engines for the tractor pull competition.
Advanced Usage
- "Souped-up" as an adjective: The past participle is commonly used as an adjective to describe something that has been modified for higher performance.
- He drove a souped-up Mustang that could outrun almost anything.
- The mechanic specializes in building souped-up racing engines.
Variants and Related Words
- Hot-rod (verb/noun): Similar to "soup up," often specifically for cars. A "hot rod" is a car that has been souped up.
- Tune up (verb): To adjust and service an engine to restore it to its optimal standard performance, which is less extreme than "souping up."
- Modify (verb): A more general and formal term for making changes.
Synonyms
- Enhance (the performance of)
- Modify for speed/power
- Hot-rod
- Turbocharge (specific method, often used generally)
Antonyms
- Downgrade
- Restore to stock
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Power up: To increase the power of something (more general, can apply to electronics).
- Crank up: To increase the intensity, level, or power of something (e.g., "crank up the volume," "crank up the pressure").
Related Idioms
- To give something more muscle: An idiom meaning to make something more powerful or forceful.
- The engineers gave the new model more muscle to compete in the market. (This is a more figurative use compared to the mechanical "soup up.")
Verb
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make more powerful
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he souped up the old cars
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