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
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Selig’s approach has aided Kalshi’s valuation run-up—last month, the firm said its most recent funding round came at a $22 billion valuation—and starkly contrasts how the CFTC worked when Joe Biden was president.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 11 June 2026
William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2026
The acquisition came as part of a settlement in a decade-long legal fight with a private developer that wanted to build a MacDonald’s on the site that ran up against opposition from the neighborhood that argued the plans didn’t fit in with a pedestrian-friendly streetscape.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for run-up
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Noun
Other factors, too, are fueling the ongoing run-up in tomato prices.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Selig’s approach has aided Kalshi’s valuation run-up—last month, the firm said its most recent funding round came at a $22 billion valuation—and starkly contrasts how the CFTC worked when Joe Biden was president.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 11 June 2026
Verb
On a sunny day in August 2024, transportation department employees Anthony Coscia and Tobin Hook were waiting to start a meeting along State Route 1 to discuss the replacement of the Scott Creek bridge in Santa Cruz County when a woman ran up to their group in distress.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2026
The acquisition came as part of a settlement in a decade-long legal fight with a private developer that wanted to build a MacDonald’s on the site that ran up against opposition from the neighborhood that argued the plans didn’t fit in with a pedestrian-friendly streetscape.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 11 June 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 18 Jun. 2026.
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