From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishshoot up phrasal verb1 UPto increase very quickly and suddenly SYN rocket Demand for water has shot up by 70% over the last 30 years.2 GROW/GET BIGGERif a child shoots up, he or she grows taller very quickly and suddenly I can’t believe this is Joshua – he’s shot up since we last saw him!3 shoot somebody/something ↔ upSHOOT to cause serious injury or damage to someone or something by shooting them with bullets Then two men came in and shot up the entire lobby.4 shoot up (something) informalMDD to put illegal drugs into your blood, using a needle SYN inject Kids as young as ten are shooting up heroin. → shoot→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
shoot up• The father nodded, his eyebrows shot up.• In May the plants all start to shoot up.• Thus subscription prices were shooting up and cutting off thousands of readers who could no longer afford them.• However, as soon as he struck off one of its heads another two shot up in its place.• Since the debate Robertson has shot up in the polls.• Flames shot up into the air and clouds of smoke poured out of the windows.• I saw a spray of white water shoot up into the sky and knew that there were whales nearby.• As long as mortgage rates do not shoot up, property should remain a good investment.• Jo's shot up since I last saw her.• If interest rates shoot up, stocks and bonds usually fall in price.• The new detective series quickly shot up the TV ratings.• US exports to Mexico have already shot up to 130% since 1985.• A year ago the magazine had a circulation of 150,000, but since then that figure has shot up to an astonishing 2 million.shoot up (something)• But it was his elf face which shot up.• The father nodded, his eyebrows shot up.• Thus subscription prices were shooting up and cutting off thousands of readers who could no longer afford them.• However, as soon as he struck off one of its heads another two shot up in its place.• I righted myself and pain shot up my right leg as I put weight on it.• Fists shot up, some holding dinner pails in the air like flags.• If interest rates shoot up, stocks and bonds usually fall in price.From Longman Business Dictionaryshoot up phrasal verb [intransitive] to quickly increase in number or amountPrices have certainly shot up recently. → see also overshoot, undershoot → shoot→ See Verb table 