run-ups

noun

plural of run-up
1
as in countdowns

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in spikes

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for run-ups
  1. preliminaries
  2. spikes
  3. overtures
  4. jumps
  5. warm-ups
  6. extensions
  7. continuations
Noun
  • But all of that was just the preliminaries for Grady Emerson.
    — John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 July 2026
  • The meet continues Thursday, a day consisting largely of women’s preliminaries, followed by men’s finals Friday and women’s finals Saturday.
    — Mike Wilson, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Definition of preliminaries
Noun
  • The team identified a continuous midline feature that began as a fleshy crest along the neck and trunk and transitioned over the hips into a single row of spikes running down the tail — each spike positioned over a single vertebra and fitted to each other.
    — Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of spikes
Noun
  • Trump has alternated between threats and diplomatic overtures to get the job done, but the war is now approaching six months with no end in sight.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The dispute was overcome only after Sánchez made overtures to Morocco, acknowledging its rule over the territory.
    — Kelsey Norman, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of overtures
Noun
  • Defensively, Bett anchors the interior line, while sophomores Joseph Mbatchou and Jeremiah McCloud look poised for second-year jumps after promising freshman seasons.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Additionally, using higher-frequency ultraviolet light, scientists are able to create larger energy jumps and measure them more frequently, allowing time tracking in much finer increments, thereby increasing precision.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of jumps
Noun
  • Kittle was back at practice and broke down the team huddle at the conclusion of warm-ups.
    — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • In the first moments of the first episode, Simon is doing these actor warm-ups.
    — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of warm-ups
Noun
  • Summary Solid gold jewelry is experiencing a significant resurgence, driven by independent brands offering personalized, custom pieces that feel like extensions of the wearer.
    — Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The initial contract was three years plus two, meaning there could be two extensions.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of extensions
Noun
  • Since the series’ end, Stewart has kept busy — and not just by turning his small-screen captain into a big-screen hero with the franchise’s film continuations.
    — Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 21 July 2026
  • Stranger Things’ transformation—from a charming homage to ’80s blockbusters to a sprawling transmedia franchise—was ribbed later in last night’s episode, in a commercial parody imagining a string of continuations.
    — Erik Adams, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2026
Definition of continuations
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

run upon
run-ups
runway
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Run-ups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/run-ups. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All