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

Thomas cited a lack of immediate momentum as the reason for the rating downgrade, as well as the company’s recent run-up in price. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026

Getty Images/iStockphoto Silver saw a pretty big run-up in 2025, and that price trajectory continued into 2026, with the price of silver even surpassing prior records and climbing past the $100-per-ounce mark. —Aly J Yale, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026

Verb

The DJs, docked at the infield stage at Turn 3 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will spin throughout the morning of the Indianapolis 500's 110th running up to the race's start in the early afternoon, with specific set times to be announced later. —Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 19 Feb. 2026

Unfortunately, that tends to run up against all sorts of legal and political obstacles, not to mention the difficulty, expense, and scheduling challenges involved in modifying commercial ships. —David Szondy february 15, New Atlas, 15 Feb. 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