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

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

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

Gardner Nichols, an engineer at Rivian who modified his personal first-gen quad-motor R1T and ran up the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in 2023 and set a record with no factory involvement. —Joel Feder, The Drive, 27 Feb. 2026

Passports are especially rare in rural counties, where Republicans run up the score, Daniel Griffith, the author of the report, told me. —Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 26 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