run-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈrən-ˌəp 

1

: the act of running up something

2

: a usually sudden increase in volume or price

3

: a period immediately preceding an action or event

run up

2 of 2

verb

ran up; run up; running up; runs up

intransitive verb

: to grow rapidly : shoot up

transitive verb

1

: bid up

2

: to stitch together quickly

3

: to erect hastily

4

: to achieve by accumulating

ran up a big lead

Examples of run-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

That’s one of the reasons for this week’s price run-up in silver and silver stocks – now playing catch-up with the yellow metal. —John Navin, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025

Rodríguez, who was an LAFC player from 2019-22 before being sold to América, converted his penalty by going largely down the center after a lengthy run-up to beat Lloris, breaking the deadlock and giving América the game’s first goal. —Avi Creditor, New York Times, 1 June 2025

Verb

But that ambition, always highly dependent on the United States joining Israel militarily, has now run up against the reality of US reluctance to get drawn into yet another Mideast war. —Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 16 June 2025

Many prior Republican Congresses have run up debt while sending most benefits to the wealthiest Americans, but none have done so this egregiously. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for run-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

run up

verb

: to cause to pile up : accumulate

ran up a big telephone bill