size up

size up — phrasal verb

  • size upbase form
  • sizes up3rd person singular
  • sizing up-ing form
  • sized uppast simple

1. to look carefully at a person, situation, or thing in order to form an opinion o

1.片語動詞及物B2
釋義

to look carefully at a person, situation, or thing in order to form an opinion or decide what to do about them — for example, sizing up a competitor before a race, or sizing up a room before choosing where to sit.

例句

The manager sized up the new hire during her first week to see which team she suited best.

size up + object + purpose clause

Asher stood at the back of the conference room, quietly sizing up the crowd before he joined the discussion.

同義詞
  • assess

    more formal; used in professional or academic contexts

  • evaluate

    more formal; implies systematic comparison against a standard

  • appraise

    formal; used for value or quality of objects or property

  • check out

    informal; less analytical, often implies casual observation

反義詞
  • ignore

    to pay no attention rather than forming a judgment

  • overlook

    to fail to notice or consider

文法句型

size + object + up

size up + object

用法筆記

Object can go between 'size' and 'up' (size the situation up) or after the whole phrasal verb (size up the situation). The object must be a noun phrase — not a clause.

常見錯誤

I sized up that he was lying.
I sized him up and could tell he was lying.
💡'size up' takes a noun object (a person or thing), not a that-clause.