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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Recent Examples of work up
He feels emotionally ambushed, and what plays out is as if Marriage Story were an absolute chucklefest, as Lestat gets increasingly worked up and jealous over Louis’s relationships with other men.
—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
Church’s numinous-sun-over-still-water routine had begun to look a bit like a shtick, equally applicable to scenes of the Hudson or those worked up from 20-year-old sketches of South America.
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Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
Stroll on the Eastern Promenade to work up an appetite and take in views of Casco Bay.
—
Jacqueline Dole,
Travel + Leisure,
13 June 2026
These surveys drop a lot of hard, time-consuming work up front.
—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for work up
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
Church’s numinous-sun-over-still-water routine had begun to look a bit like a shtick, equally applicable to scenes of the Hudson or those worked up from 20-year-old sketches of South America.
—
Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
Stroll on the Eastern Promenade to work up an appetite and take in views of Casco Bay.
—
Jacqueline Dole,
Travel + Leisure,
13 June 2026
These surveys drop a lot of hard, time-consuming work up front.
—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for work up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for work up
Verb
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As adult influencers dominate online fashion culture, and tweens and teens see the same content as adults, there are fewer spaces for young people to develop styles of their own.
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However, treatment given soon after exposure can prevent the infection from developing.
Verb
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For those of us who needed a reminder that the country was not even forged in a vacuum, start here.
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In Phoenix, Steven Dortch, 25, and his brother JayLn Dortch, 23, gathered at Granada Park to try to forge a new July 4 cookout tradition.
Verb
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Both men argue Los Angeles should consider creating a dedicated anti-squatter task force to help law enforcement distinguish legitimate tenant disputes from cases involving criminal conduct.
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The relaxed fit keeps air circulating while the long skirt design creates an effortless silhouette.
Verb
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There’s a lot of bad crowd work out there, just like there is bad anything else — fledgling or whatever rookie stuff.
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Monday could be interesting, though, to see how all the processing of the trade works out, and if there yet could be a Heat plus-one in this process.
Cite this Entry
“Work up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work%20up. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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