get up

do something, especially something bad or surprising

B2

What does "get up to sth" mean?

To 'get up to' something means to do it — especially when it's a bit naughty, sneaky, or likely to raise an eyebrow. The phrase carries a tone of mild suspicion or playful disapproval rather than serious accusation. It's strongly associated with British English and turns up most often when someone is wondering what another person has been doing in their absence, or when a parent is keeping a watchful eye on their children. You'll often hear it in questions ('What have you been getting up to?') or in familiar expressions like 'getting up to no good', which has become almost a set phrase. The implication is usually that something cheeky or questionable is going on, even if no one is in serious trouble.

Examples

How to use it

get up to + noun phrase (activity)

The most common pattern — follow 'get up to' with a noun phrase describing the activity, especially words like 'mischief', 'no good', 'tricks', or 'all sorts'.

I dread to think what those two got up to while I was travelling for work.

What + get up to?

Questions with 'what' are extremely natural with this phrasal verb and are one of its most frequent uses.

What did you get up to over the long weekend?

get up to + something / nothing / anything

Indefinite pronouns are very common objects, especially in questions or negative contexts.

I hope the interns aren't getting up to anything they shouldn't while the manager is away.

have been getting up to + noun phrase

The present perfect continuous is especially natural, giving a sense of ongoing or habitual mischievous behaviour.

She looks guilty — I wonder what she's been getting up to.

get up to + no good / mischief

These collocations are so common they function almost as fixed expressions; 'getting up to no good' in particular is a well-established idiom.

The neighbours' kids were clearly getting up to no good in the park again.

Common Collocations

mischiefno goodsomethingnothingtricksall sorts

Common Mistakes

Confusing the mischief sense with the progress sense

The same phrase 'get up to' can mean 'reach a point or level' (e.g. 'We got up to chapter five'), which is completely different. The mischief sense always takes an abstract activity word like 'mischief', 'tricks', or 'something', not a concrete point, page, or stage.

✗ We got up to all sorts in the third lesson.
✓ Check the object: if it's a level or stage, it's the progress sense; if it's an activity with a hint of mischief, it's this sense — 'They got up to all sorts at the party.'
Mixing up 'get up to' and 'be up to'

'Be up to' describes what someone is currently doing or planning right now, while 'get up to' focuses on the action of engaging in something, often looking back at what happened. They're similar but not always interchangeable.

✗ What did you be up to at the party?
✓ What did you get up to at the party?
Dropping the 'to'

Unlike some phrasal verbs where the final particle can be dropped, 'to' is an essential part of this phrase and cannot be removed. Without it, the sentence sounds incomplete or means something different.

✗ What did they get up at the weekend?
✓ What did they get up to at the weekend?

Usage

This phrasal verb is very common in British English and is used in an informal, often playful or suspicious tone — especially by parents talking about children. It frequently appears in questions like 'What have you been getting up to?' and in the fixed phrase 'getting up to no good'.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'get up to' mainly British English? Do Americans use it?

Yes, it's strongly associated with British English and is especially common in everyday British speech. Speakers of other varieties of English will understand it, but it's much less common in American or Australian English, where people might be more likely to say 'get into' or simply 'do'.

Does 'get up to' always suggest disapproval or something bad?

Not always — the tone is often more playful or curious than genuinely critical. 'What did you get up to this weekend?' is a perfectly friendly question with no negative implication. However, when the object is something like 'mischief' or 'no good', the disapproving sense is clear. Context and tone do a lot of the work.

Can I use 'get up to' in the passive, like 'Mischief was got up to by the students'?

No — this doesn't work naturally in English. The object of 'get up to' is the activity being done, not a person being acted upon, so a passive construction is grammatically awkward. Stick to active sentences like 'The students got up to mischief'.

What kinds of words typically follow 'get up to'?

The most natural objects are abstract nouns suggesting mischief or questionable behaviour — 'mischief', 'no good', 'tricks', 'trouble', 'shenanigans', 'all sorts', or vague words like 'something' and 'nothing'. You wouldn't use a person's name or a concrete object after it in this sense.

Why does 'What have you been getting up to?' feel more natural than 'What did you get up to?' in some situations?

Both are correct, but the present perfect continuous ('have been getting up to') gives a sense of ongoing or habitual behaviour — it implies you've been doing something over a period of time. The past simple ('did you get up to') is more about a specific occasion, like a particular evening or weekend. Either can work depending on what you mean.

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