jack-up

1 of 2

noun

: a drilling rig used in offshore drilling whose drilling platform is a barge from which legs are lowered to the bottom when over the drill site and which is raised above the water and supported on the legs to conduct drilling operations

jack up

2 of 2

verb

jacked up; jacking up; jacks up

transitive verb

1
: to move or lift (something, such as an automobile) with or as if with a jack (see jack entry 1 sense 3a)
She jacked up the car to change the tire.
He jacked up his shorts.
… steel rollers were situated at four points under the timber truss bridge, which had been jacked up above the temporary bridge.Civil Engineering
2
a
: to raise the level or amount of (something) : increase
jack up the price
Most loans still do carry a bevy of fees … all of which have been jacked up—in some cases doubled—over the past year.Fred R. Bleakley
The club jacked up cash prizes for the race to $514,000, almost double last year's purse.Kostya Kennedy
… the city's powerful economy has jacked up demand for dwellings.Ralph Bivens
b
: to increase (something) in intensity, scope, etc.
Jill [Gisvold] says she jacked up her training last fall "because I had some shake-ups in my life, and I found that running helped me deal with it."Bob Cooper
This Miami Vice rerun is a change-of-pace episode, with the comedy jacked up and the drama toned down.TV Guide
c
informal : to cause great excitement, enthusiasm, or energy in (someone)
Nothing jacks up a rabid sports fan more than visiting a modern sports bar armed with a high-tech viewing experience …Monterey County (California) Herald
With lead MC Will.I.Am and bandmates … bounding about the stage like aerobics instructors after a quadruple latte, the group jacked up the crowd with "Let's Get It Started" and its current single, "Don't Phunk With My Heart."Dan DeLuca
3
a
informal : to grab, shove, or handle (someone or something) forcefully
One day, some jerk jacked him up against a locker. "I'm in the air, feet dangling," recalls [Jim] Shea …Anne Marie Cruz
b
informal : to cause injury to (someone or something)
Saturday I jacked up my neck and shoulder while I was warming up to play golf.Patrick Dix
c
informal : to beat up or hurt (someone)
A Gainesville man with a history of battery convictions has been charged with child abuse after police say he admitted to "jacking up" an 11-year-old boy, resulting in bruises still visible to officers three days later.Sean P. McCrory
d
informal : to treat or confront (someone) in a harassing, rough, or overly aggressive and typically unwarranted manner
In recent months, the service has increasingly been contacted by youths who say they were "jacked up" by police—stopped suddenly by anti-gang officers, frisked, questioned and sometimes roughed up, [David] Lynn said.Los Angeles Times
And in the course of being jacked up by the police, many claim they have been man-handled or physically mistreated.Jeff Yang

Examples of jack-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Soon after it was built, the grab was used by the global salvage firm Ardent to clear wreckage from the Troll Solution, a jack-up offshore oil rig that collapsed in 2015. Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 23 Apr. 2024 Nearby, loaded barges have been arriving alongside the Aeolus, a Dutch vessel known as a jack-up ship. Patrick McGeehan, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024
Verb
Restaurants usually price proteins at 2.5 times their cost, but a side of French fries or creamed spinach might be jacked up six times. John Mariani, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024 The specter of trade wars would return under the controversial ex-president, who has even proposed jacking up tariffs to fund the complete elimination of federal income tax. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for jack-up 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1961, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1853, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of jack-up was in 1853

Dictionary Entries Near jack-up

Cite this Entry

“Jack-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jack-up. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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