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

As Fernandes undertook his trademark run-up, Tielemans mirrored him exactly, sidestepping and stuttering in synchronisation. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Those moves came amid a broader run-up in global bond yields , spurred in part by growing inflation fears as energy rises remain elevated from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. — Sean Conlon, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026

Verb

The offensive play in general was far from crisp, with little downfield passing, and a lot of running up the middle. — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Clark eventually checked in midway through the first quarter, as Team USA started to run up the scoreboard early on China, with Young scoring seven of the team’s first 20 points. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 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