as in developing
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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Recent Examples of working up
Hope is getting dirty, working up a sweat and seeing action.
—
Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026
In the early 1990s, Porsche quietly began work on a V-10 engine for Formula 1; when that fell through, the idea sat on the shelf until the company began working up plans for a new Le Mans racer towards the end of the decade.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2026
All of this adds up to a more comfortable base for visitors to return to after working up a sweat under the desert sun.
—Mark Johanson, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
More experienced runners can gradually increase the running intervals, working up to four or six minutes of running with a one-minute walk break.
—Avery Newmark, AJC.com, 16 Mar. 2026
Webtoon Productions has been working up titles from both platforms for film and TV, per our recent feature on the development and production unit, which is run by industry vet David Madden.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
Instead of traditionally starting at 100 pounds and working up to 235 pounds, this year’s matches started at 140 pounds.
—Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026
To this day, working up a mess of beans soothes and centers me.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2025
Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026
In the early 1990s, Porsche quietly began work on a V-10 engine for Formula 1; when that fell through, the idea sat on the shelf until the company began working up plans for a new Le Mans racer towards the end of the decade.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2026
All of this adds up to a more comfortable base for visitors to return to after working up a sweat under the desert sun.
—Mark Johanson, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
More experienced runners can gradually increase the running intervals, working up to four or six minutes of running with a one-minute walk break.
—Avery Newmark, AJC.com, 16 Mar. 2026
Webtoon Productions has been working up titles from both platforms for film and TV, per our recent feature on the development and production unit, which is run by industry vet David Madden.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
Instead of traditionally starting at 100 pounds and working up to 235 pounds, this year’s matches started at 140 pounds.
—Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026
To this day, working up a mess of beans soothes and centers me.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for working up
Verb
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With developing nations like Zambia and Sri Lanka defaulting on their debt, countries buoyed by oil reserves seemed an attractive bet.—
Bloomberg,
Bloomberg,
10 Apr. 2026
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In light of all this, Polymarket appearing in Google News is a major victory for the prediction platform — rubber-stamping its image as an authority on developing real-world events right alongside genuine real publishers of journalism.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hager, who worked at three ARC centers during the span of nearly a decade, said those kinds of groups that ARC billed for were the standard and forging group notes was common.—
Alex Acquisto,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
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Corona had worked for the elderly couple — identified in court Tuesday as investment banker Richard Schmeelk and his wife Priscilla — since the early 2000s, and was forging their signatures on checks to pay off her credit cards since 2015, according to the feds.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Folk music à la Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen plays on repeat, creating a chill vibe for a crowd of regulars (many of who come twice a day).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
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The space was designed by her and her mother, Sabeen Khaliq, with the goal of creating tranquility.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After a half hour working out with the flywheel, which works like a zero-gravity rowing machine, Wiseman was impressed.—
Tariq Malik,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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Gas prices continue to rise in Massachusetts and commuters are working out ways to cut back on spending.—
Paul Burton,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Stocks fell sharply early in Thursday's session, but steadily clawed their way back as investors appeared to take heart from news reports that Iran and Oman are hammering out a plan to oversee traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Aponte’s predecessor Kevin Abrams was the Giants‘ salary cap lead in previous years, most memorably hammering out the early versions of Daniel Jones’ contract extension in the lobby of the JW Marriott here in March 2023.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Working up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/working%20up. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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