string up
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb (transitive) 1. To kill by hanging: To execute someone or something by suspending them with a rope around the neck. 2. To add or connect as if on a string: To link items or ideas together in a sequence. (Note: This meaning is less common for the phrasal verb form and is often expressed as "string together.")
Usage and Examples
- The angry mob threatened to string up the captured outlaw.
- In the old tale, the pirates vowed to string up the traitor from the yardarm.
- (Less common usage): The director tried to string up a series of weak scenes into a coherent act.
Advanced Usage and Notes
- "String up" is a phrasal verb that is almost always used in informal or figurative contexts related to execution by hanging, often implying vigilante justice or summary punishment without a formal trial.
- It carries a strong and violent connotation.
- The separable phrasal verb can take an object between "string" and "up":
Variants and Related Words
- String (verb): To thread on or as if on a string (e.g., ).
- String together (phrasal verb): To combine or connect things in a sequence (e.g., ). This is the more common form for the non-violent meaning.
- Hang (verb): The standard verb for execution by suspension from the neck.
Synonyms
- Hang
- Execute by hanging
- Lynch
Antonyms
- Pardon
- Release
- Acquit
Related Phrasal Verbs
- String along: To deceive someone over a period of time.
- He strung her along with false promises of marriage.
- String out: To prolong or extend.
- They strung out the meeting for another hour.
Idioms and Collocations
- String 'em up!: An aggressive cry or demand for someone to be hanged, typically by a crowd.
- The crowd shouted, "String 'em up!" as the prisoner was led past.
- Fit to be strung up: Deserving of being hanged.
- After that betrayal, he's fit to be strung up.
Verb
- add as if on a string
- string these ideas together
- string up these songs and you'll have a musical
- kill by hanging
- The murderer was hanged on Friday