ramp up — increase sharply (especially production, effort, or activity)
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
to increase something quickly and by a large amount, especially production, effort, or activity, often in response to demand or a new situation.
Say it like a native
Textbook The manufacturer intends to substantially augment production.
Native They're ramping up production.
'Ramp up' is the natural business verb for scaling up fast; 'substantially augment' is formal.
Pattern: ramp up [object]
In use
- The company had to ramp up production to meet the sudden surge in demand.work
- In my opinion, governments should ramp up investment in renewable energy if they want to tackle climate change effectively.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ They ramped up of their efforts.
✓ They ramped up their efforts.
'Ramp up' takes the object directly — no 'of'.
Common collocations
ramp up + activity— production, efforts, security, the pressure
Don't confuse it
'Ramp up' is stronger and more dynamic than the basic verb 'increase'. It is not used for slow or slight changes, and is often used when a company or group responds to a new challenge or opportunity.