hoovering up
Greedily consuming everything
Hoovering up means vacuuming, from the British use of Hoover as a generic term for vacuum cleaner.
The phrase extends to consuming or collecting eagerly and indiscriminately: He hoovered up the leftover pizza, The company is hoovering up smaller competitors.
The image is of rapid, thorough intake—like a vacuum sucking everything in its path.
- accumulatingGathering in increasing quantity
- sucking upObsequious behavior toward superiors
- monopolizingTaking exclusive control
- centralizingUnifying under one control
- buying upPurchasing in bulk
consuming · amassing · snapping up · appropriating · data mining · vacuum cleaner · resource depletion · commandeering · gathering · scooping up · stockpiling · sweeping · sweeping up · cleaning out · devouring · gobbling up · wolfing down · scarfing down
hoovering upscattering
Distribution in many directions
dispersing · distributing · spreading · disgorging · expelling
hoovering upleaving behind
Departing without something
ignoring · picking at · overlooking · neglecting · missing