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
  • Whether magicians, thieves, or just fed up citizens, somebody has made an entire city’s worth of ALPRs vanish in the night.
    Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Smith believes that progressive candidates’ wins show that the base is fed up with the more conventional approach put forth by establishment Democrats.
    Rebecca Schneid, Time, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Over the following months, Harrison developed pneumonia and gut failure and also suffered a stroke.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Even before the war, the country had already developed a large legal profession, sophisticated corporate firms, and distinctive constitutional institutions, although European legal systems retained greater intellectual prestige.
    Mark Jia, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Apart from the payment issues, many health workers and facilities have been attacked by rebels and angry mobs.
    ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The report said that the 5-year-old cousin urinated on the floor, which made Gonzalez angry.
    Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Thaha Ibrahim, a Muslim, forged a profound connection with the late Sarah Cohen, one of the neighborhood's Jewish matriarchs.
    ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The future of emergency response demands heavy-lift, long-endurance platforms that are forged directly domestically.
    Nia Bowers, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • The Braves opted against parting with their most valuable prospects at the trade deadline, a decision that’s upset part of the fanbase and many around the organization but will require time to judge.
    Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • It’s considered the biggest upset in the history of the tournament.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The new fragrance was created by the perfumer Mathilde Bijaoui, with a top note of bergamot, a heart of sea salt and a base of driftwood accord.
    Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Even so, the film’s gaze is more anthropological than polemical, especially given the faux-doc vibe created by its abundant handheld camerawork, seemingly filmed sometimes by the actors themselves.
    Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • But the suspect’s sister, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the victim became enraged after noticing a scratch on his motorcycle and stormed up to her brother, blaming him for the damage.
    Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • As Clenney became enraged, Obumseli threw his hands up in defense, and Clenney continued swinging on him, the video showed.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
Verb
  • White Sox reliever Grant Taylor, who got the final out of the sixth, worked out of a jam in the seventh by striking out Durbin to leave runners on the corners.
    LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • It’s called the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, and the physics behind it was worked out in the late 1860s.
    Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 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 Aug. 2026.

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