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
Greg Poole, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
Investors had grown weary that the massive run-up in spending on AI hardware might not be sustainable, stoking fears of a bubble building in the sector.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2026
Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Each summer, 50 million salmon pass through the bay on spawning runs up nine major river systems.
—Kim Cross, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for run-up
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Noun
Either way, the album had a good run-up.
—Greg Poole, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
Investors had grown weary that the massive run-up in spending on AI hardware might not be sustainable, stoking fears of a bubble building in the sector.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
There are fine dining restaurants in Los Angeles, where ordering the beverage pairing and supplemental courses will easily run up close to a $1,500 tab.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Each summer, 50 million salmon pass through the bay on spawning runs up nine major river systems.
—Kim Cross, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
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 14 Mar. 2026.
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