Phrasal verb
be cut up
Meanings
To feel very upset, hurt, or distressed.
Definition
To be cut up means to feel very upset or distressed about something.
If you are cut up, you feel deeply upset, hurt, or shaken by an event or situation. It is often used when someone is emotionally affected by bad news, a breakup, a loss, or a serious disappointment. The phrase is informal and commonly used in everyday conversation.
Examples
- I was cut up after hearing the team lost in the final seconds.
- She was cut up when her close friend moved away unexpectedly.
- They were cut up about the cancelled trip they had planned for months.
- He was cut up after the argument and didn’t feel like talking.
- You’ll be cut up at first, but it gets easier with time.
Common mistake
Learners often say "be cut" instead of "be cut up" when they mean emotionally upset.
More phrasal verbs
- go on To go on means to continue or keep happening.
- carry out To carry out something means to do it or complete it, especially a plan, task, or instruction.
- set up To set up means to arrange or prepare something so it is ready to use or happen.
- pick up “Pick up” most commonly means to collect someone or something from a place, usually by going there.
- go back To go back means to return to a place, time, or earlier situation.