run up — to allow a bill or debt to increase
phrasal verbB2IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To spend money or use services so that you owe a large amount, often without noticing how much it adds up.
Say it like a native
Textbook He incurred a considerable debt on his credit card.
Native He ran up a huge bill on his card.
'Run up' is the everyday verb for letting a bill grow; 'incur a debt' is formal/financial.
Pattern: run up (something)
In use
- He ran up a huge phone bill calling his friends overseas.money
- In my opinion, it's easy for students to run up debts if they don't keep track of their spending.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ She ran up of a big bill.
✓ She ran up a big bill.
'Run up' takes the object directly — no 'of'.
Common collocations
run up + bill/debt— a bill, debts, a tab, charges
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'pay off', which means to finish paying a debt.