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
ran up; run up; running up; runs up
: to grow rapidly : shoot up
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
True Tamplin, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Then, a surge in inflation, followed by a run-up in interest rates, stretched many small enterprises to their limit.
—Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Armstrong ran up and down the massive catwalk usually meant for teams of dancers, chalking up a marathon-level number of steps by the end of the set.
—Jeff Miller, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for run-up
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Noun
For instance, a strong run-up in equities could lead to an overweight in stocks, increasing overall portfolio risk.
—True Tamplin, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Then, a surge in inflation, followed by a run-up in interest rates, stretched many small enterprises to their limit.
—Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
Verb
Shoji Kawamori ran up on stage, waving the master tape with a fair degree of jubilation.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Armstrong ran up and down the massive catwalk usually meant for teams of dancers, chalking up a marathon-level number of steps by the end of the set.
—Jeff Miller, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for run-up
Cite this Entry
“Run-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/run-up. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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