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

Tad Smith, the former CEO of Sotheby’s and now partner at 50T Funds, a growth equity firm focused on digital assets, said many wealthy crypto investors are holding on to their bitcoin and other tokens expecting a further run-up in price. —Robert Frank, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025

The pressure is on for Oracle Corp. to deliver another quarter of accelerating revenue growth driven by spending on artificial intelligence after a run-up in its shares this year. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025

Verb

Trubisky to former Saint Jimmy Graham, who caught the football and immediately ran up the tunnel into his offseason. —Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

Zoogoers at the San Diego Zoo witnessed the startling moment a gorilla ran up against a glass viewing platform and broke it. —Saleen Martin, USA Today, 14 Oct. 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