do up — fasten
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To fasten or close something, such as buttons, zippers, or straps on clothes or bags.
Say it like a native
Textbook Please fasten your coat securely.
Native Do your coat up — it's freezing.
'Fasten securely' is stiff; 'do up' is the everyday verb for buttons and zips (BrE).
Pattern: do up + noun
In use
- It's cold outside, so make sure you do up your jacket.daily life
- Before leaving the house in winter, I always do up my coat to keep warm.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Do up it before you go out.
✓ Do it up before you go out.
With a pronoun the object goes in the middle — 'do it up', never 'do up it'.
Common collocations
do up + fastening— your coat, the buttons, your shoelaces, the zip
Don't confuse it
'Do up' (fasten) is different from 'put on' (to wear) and 'take off' (to remove).
Related
- do up (renovate) — Another meaning of 'do up' is 'renovate'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.