English

Verb

hoover up ‎(third-person singular simple present hoovers up, present participle hoovering up, simple past and past participle hoovered up)

1. (transitive) To suck (something) into a vacuum cleaner, irrespective of brand

   Don't worry about the mess on the carpet - I'll hoover it up later.

2. (transitive, idiomatic) To eat (food) quickly, especially by taking it into the mouth directly from the plate rather than using cutlery.
3. (figuratively) To avidly absorb something as if by a vacuum cleaner.
   • 2012, The Economist, 20th Oct 2012 The rise of the yuan: Turning from green to red

     [...] a deputy governor of China’s central bank pointed out that China no longer hoovers up dollar reserves with its past abandon.

Usage notes

• see Hoover

See also

• bolt
• scarf down
• wolf down
• vacuum up