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

The shares were flat after the numbers but have had a major run-up, surging 85% year to date. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2026

That increase comes on top of a steep run-up since the pandemic, which has left grocery prices roughly a third higher than in 2019. — Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026

Verb

Competitive races haven’t been called in Michigan and Alaska, where Democrats could run up the score further. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Apple is in a much different category as the iPhone maker has avoided running up huge capital expenditures bills, taking a more measured approach to its AI investing. — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026

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