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

Striker Everton Maceio converted it, taking no run-up at all and casually side-footing to the goalkeeper’s right (above) to drag Portuguesa through a shootout against Avai and into the fourth round of the Copa do Brasil. —Phil Hay, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026

Either way, the album had a good run-up. —Greg Poole, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 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

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