worked up 1 of 2

Definition of worked upnext

worked up

2 of 2

verb

past tense of work up

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of worked up
Adjective
Washington School House Hotel is located atop Park Avenue, moments from Main Street, and provides complimentary après-ski fare in the living room for outdoor enthusiasts who have worked up an appetite. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2025 Chicago — its fans, its organization and yes, its writers — has clung to that era as tightly as Toews and Kane clung to the Stanley Cup in that famous photo, because there’s been so little else to get worked up about. Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
Putting words on the page seems too low stakes to get worked up about, and yet the terror of saying something taboo—or just being boring—feels like a terrible fate to most writers. David O’Neill, New Yorker, 20 May 2026 Thou shalt not get too worked up about the chat! Sam Reed, Glamour, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for worked up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worked up
Adjective
  • Americans are increasingly fed up with private health insurers.
    Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • On May 14, five games into his first season, Fernandez was fed up.
    Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The Virginia case has reached discovery, allowing the challengers to seek documents and information about how the program was developed.
    Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Electron diffraction provided another way to monitor the crystal structures as defects developed.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Much of the work is also focused on building guardrails to protect clients from lawsuits — coming from business partners, local officials, or angry neighbors — in an industry that has an increasingly visible target on its back.
    Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Though nothing about the current situation is ideal, there’s no clear way to hop off without ensuring certain doom at the hands of a large, angry cat.
    Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Likewise, a new lubrication system, forged pistons and rods, and revised exhaust manifolds ensure durability in extended high-load, high-temperature environments.
    Jerry Perez, The Drive, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Kobach, a Republican who forged his political identity as an anti-immigration hardliner, was called to testify on birthright citizenship before a House Judiciary subcommittee on Wednesday.
    Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • An upset victory in Alaska for Democrats would be a massive step toward achieving that goal.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Clancy appeared upset during the sidebar but returned to the defense table with a stoic expression.
    Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The use of chemical weapons would add to mounting human rights abuses and atrocities by both sides in a war that has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
    Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 6 Sep. 2026
  • In May 2020, Naming the Lost, a public art project, created temporary memorials to casualties in all five boroughs.
    Robert W. Snyder, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Imagine the ripe smell of swamp-wet dogs, the acrid stench of overheated, enraged bear, the slippery warm blood of pack members already lost; the simply insufferable noise and confusion in that dank little hole.
    Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • As a consequence, Nadia’s enraged sponsors send her packing back to Europe.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • How those standards would impact the Group of 6 conferences (the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 and Sun Belt) still needs to be worked out.
    Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • This is still being worked out in courts as players battle for a fifth year of college eligibility.
    Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Worked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20up. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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