WORK UP Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

work up

verb

Definition of work up

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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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 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. — 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

Shawn Vanderhoven is a partner at The Wiseman Group, a thought leadership and consulting firm working with many of the biggest and brightest companies in the S&P and focusing on developing a leader's ability to fully utilize their people’s talent.

— Big Think, Big Think, 6 Aug. 2026
The Overlook at Garson will be a mixed-use community developed by Pennrose and Radiant Development Partners, featuring efficiency, one- and two-bedroom homes designated as Low-Income Housing Tax Credit units.

— Elijah Megginson, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of develop

Verb

Italy has also pointed to Ceuta to push forward a controversial plan, forged in Italy's partnership with Albania, to move migrant screenings outside of the EU.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Rumor has long held that some of Coltrane’s final works were forged under the shivery benison of LSD.

— Ian Penman, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of forge

Verb

Kotb had an arts and crafts session with her daughters in May 2023, creating sweet paintings with their handprints.

— Diane J. Cho, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
The hard part for those opponents now is winning early federal cases and creating disagreement between the country's appeals courts, which may help convince the Supreme Court the issue is important enough for a nationwide ruling.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of create

Verb

Dokoupil had to work out kinks on air, in real time, and the program’s overall audience still rests below 4 million, a demarcation point for CBS News management in the past.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026
But responsible governance cannot consist of hoping everything works out.

— Angel Gutierrez, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of work out

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works up

work up

workwoman

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“Work up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work%20up. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of work up

verb

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