to buy up
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To purchase stock to such an amount as to obtain a virtual monopoly, and thus command the market; to make a corner, as "to buy up corn," etc.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to buy up” mean?
To purchase stock to such an amount as to obtain a virtual monopoly, and thus command the market; to make a corner, as "to buy up corn," etc.
Is “to buy up” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.