work up

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When I’m ready to freshen up my fridge, I tend to work up a loose step ladder depending on my energy and the kind of week I’m having.

From Salon • Mar. 9, 2026

Because the person has not worked outside of the house, Trench and Jensen have them start with an entry-level receptionist job paying $45,000 a year, and work up from there.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 30, 2026

Then you work up the chutzpah to share it with other people.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

But Martin, working with pathologist Larry J. Stowell, was able to pinpoint the cause of that “rapid blight”—a fungus, Labyrinthula terrestris—and quickly work up a program to beat it back.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

"That's the sort of thing that can't be spoken of. That's what you ought to work up into a mystery. Like Henry's bicycle."

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway