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
The season is too long to get worked up by three games in August.
—
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025
Stidham’s going into his third season with Webb and has seen his positional work up close since Webb jumped from playing to coaching after Payton got hired in Denver.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2025
Smalltown Boy works up the courage to ask Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) to dance, and now their hands are all over each other, much to the chagrin of Smalltown Boy’s ex, Personal Jesus, who is going through the motions of dancing with Caribbean Queen but keeps looking over his shoulder.
—Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
This has led to a growing number of contract employees who work up to, but not past, the hourly limit.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for work up
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025
Stidham’s going into his third season with Webb and has seen his positional work up close since Webb jumped from playing to coaching after Payton got hired in Denver.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2025
Smalltown Boy works up the courage to ask Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) to dance, and now their hands are all over each other, much to the chagrin of Smalltown Boy’s ex, Personal Jesus, who is going through the motions of dancing with Caribbean Queen but keeps looking over his shoulder.
—Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
This has led to a growing number of contract employees who work up to, but not past, the hourly limit.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for work up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for work up
Verb
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Researchers have developed a new type of material that can passively cool buildings and capture water directly from the air – all without energy input.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Nov. 2025
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Giving evidence about his spat with Vine, which developed when the 60-year-old speculated whether Barton had a brain injury after his posts about Aluko and Ward, he was stopped by Menary.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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McGuinness, along with Jason Bauer, were accused of a scheme to put several Tea Party candidates on the ballot without their knowledge, forging signatures on an affidavit.—
Lily Altavena,
Freep.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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Starbucks’ success was forged on the back of a growing demand for Western luxuries, as well as a strategy of adapting p roducts for the market –– to appeal to customers beyond China’s top-tier cities.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The species has an adhesive plate on its head that helps to create a kind of vacuum seal, allowing the fish to grab a whale and hang on for the ride.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Denver International Airport is working to fill in the gap, creating a food pantry for its federal employees and asking the FAA for permission to use the airport's revenue to pay for controllers' wages.—
JOSH FUNK,
Arkansas Online,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The agreement includes bipartisan bills worked out by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of government — food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
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For well over a year, these comfy walking shoes became my go-to for catching flights, running errands, working out, and clocking thousands of steps across New York City.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Work up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work%20up. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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