sit-up

[ sit-uhp ]

noun
  1. an exercise in which a person lies flat on the back, lifts the torso to a sitting position, and then lies flat again without changing the position of the legs: formerly done with the legs straight but now usually done with the knees bent.

Origin of sit-up

1
First recorded in 1835–45; noun use of verb phrase sit up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sit-up in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sit up

sit up

verb(adverb)
  1. to raise (oneself or another) from a recumbent to an upright or alert sitting posture

  2. (intr) to remain out of bed and awake, esp until a late hour

  1. (intr) informal to become suddenly interested or alert: devaluation of the dollar made the money market sit up

nounsit-up
  1. a physical exercise in which the body is brought into a sitting position from one lying on the back: Also: trunk curl

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with sit-up

sit-up

Rise to a sitting position from lying down, as in The sick child sat up and asked for a drink of water. [Early 1200s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.