as in to develop
to produce or bring about especially by long or repeated effort
spent years working up a period novel that was historically accurate in every detail
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of work up
Beyond that the plan is to steadily work up to 80 or 90 pitches before making a return to the big league roster.
—
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 June 2025
When school is out, those children can work up to eight hours a day for a total of no more than 40 hours a week.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2025
Having food with capsaicin increases tolerance, so people can gradually work up to spicier peppers—which may provide more benefits.
—Matt Fuchs, Time, 17 June 2025
Under Boulos’s direction, State Department diplomats have been working up a deal, and its contours have emerged: Rwanda would have to withdraw its troops from Congo completely while the M23 would withdraw to a small area north of Goma.
—Joshua Z. Walker, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for work up
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 June 2025
When school is out, those children can work up to eight hours a day for a total of no more than 40 hours a week.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2025
Having food with capsaicin increases tolerance, so people can gradually work up to spicier peppers—which may provide more benefits.
—Matt Fuchs, Time, 17 June 2025
Under Boulos’s direction, State Department diplomats have been working up a deal, and its contours have emerged: Rwanda would have to withdraw its troops from Congo completely while the M23 would withdraw to a small area north of Goma.
—Joshua Z. Walker, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for work up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for work up
Verb
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Self-awareness is an incredibly important skill to develop to get ahead of the psychological impact of victory.—
Brook Choulet,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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The film was developed by BBC Film and financed by BBC Film, BFI, and Tricky Knot.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
15 July 2025
Verb
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But if the results are solid, there’s no reason why this name can’t break away and forge a new trading range above current resistance at $60.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
14 July 2025
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But forging strong ties without in-person interaction remains a challenge.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
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The tombs were called Polish pyramids or the beds of giants, according to the Facebook post, and were created by members of the Funnel Beaker culture in the Stone Age.—
Irene Wright
July 14,
Miami Herald,
14 July 2025
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The idea, in both cases, is to create revenue by taxing rich people and use the money to pay for other initiatives.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
14 July 2025
Verb
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If not, being left out worked out pretty well for Lindor last season.—
Drew VonScio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
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Things usually work out — however, the SHARAD instrument has always been at a disadvantage.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Work up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work%20up. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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