work up

work up
verb
1. form or accumulate steadily (Freq. 4)
-

Resistance to the manager's plan built up quickly

-

Pressure is building up at the Indian-Pakistani border

Syn: ↑build up, ↑build, ↑progress
Derivationally related forms: ↑progress (for: ↑progress)
Hypernyms: ↑develop
Verb Group: ↑build, ↑build up, ↑ramp up
Verb Frames:
-

Something ——s

2. develop (Freq. 1)
-

we worked up an as of an appetite

Syn: ↑get up
Hypernyms: ↑grow, ↑develop, ↑produce, ↑get, ↑acquire
Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s something

3. bolster or strengthen
-

We worked up courage

-

build up confidence

-

ramp up security in the airports

Syn: ↑build up, ↑build, ↑ramp up
Hypernyms: ↑increase
Verb Group: ↑build up, ↑build, ↑progress
Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s something

-

Something ——s something

4. come up with
-

His colleagues worked out his interesting idea

-

We worked up an ad for our client

Syn: ↑work out
Hypernyms: ↑develop, ↑make grow
Verb Group: ↑elaborate, ↑work out
Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s something

* * *

work up [phrasal verb]
1 work (someone) up : to make (someone) feel very angry, excited, upset, etc.

Don't work yourself up again.

— see also worked up
2 work up (something) or work (something) up
2 a : to produce (something) by physical or mental effort

I worked up a sweat at the gym.

He managed to work up the courage to ask her out on a date.

2 b chiefly Brit : to improve your skill at (something) or increase your knowledge of (something)

I need to work up my French for the exam.

2 c chiefly Brit : to develop or expand (something)
— usually + into

He worked up the short story into a novel.

3 work up to (something) : to reach (something, such as a rate or level) by gradually increasing in speed, intensity, etc.

The ship gradually worked up to full speed.

The story starts slow but works up to a brilliant conclusion.

• • •
Main Entry:work

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • work — [wʉrk] n. [ME werk < OE weorc, akin to Ger werk < IE base * werĝ , to do, act > Gr ergon (for * wergon), action, work, organon, tool, instrument] 1. physical or mental effort exerted to do or make something; purposeful activity; labor;… …   English World dictionary

  • Work — (w[^u]rk), n. [OE. work, werk, weorc, AS. weorc, worc; akin to OFries. werk, wirk, OS., D., & G. werk, OHG. werc, werah, Icel. & Sw. verk, Dan. v[ae]rk, Goth. gawa[ u]rki, Gr. e rgon, [digamma]e rgon, work, re zein to do, o rganon an instrument,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Work — may refer to: Human labor: Employment House work Labor (economics), measure of the work done by human beings Manual labor, physical work done by people Wage labor, in which a worker sells their labor and an employer buys it Work (project… …   Wikipedia

  • work — n 1 Work, labor, travail, toil, drudgery, grind are comparable when they mean effort or exertion directed to the accomplishment of an end, or an employment or activity which involves such expenditure of effort or exertion. Work is the most… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Work — (w[^u]rk), v. t. 1. To labor or operate upon; to give exertion and effort to; to prepare for use, or to utilize, by labor. [1913 Webster] He could have told them of two or three gold mines, and a silver mine, and given the reason why they forbare …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • work — ► NOUN 1) activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a result. 2) such activity as a means of earning income. 3) a task or tasks to be undertaken. 4) a thing or things done or made; the result of an action. 5) (works)… …   English terms dictionary

  • Work — (w[^u]rk), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Worked} (w[^u]rkt), or {Wrought} (r[add]t); p. pr. & vb. n. {Working}.] [AS. wyrcean (imp. worthe, wrohte, p. p. geworht, gewroht); akin to OFries. werka, wirka, OS. wirkian, D. werken, G. wirken, Icel. verka,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • work — [n1] labor, chore assignment, attempt, commission, daily grind*, drudge, drudgery, effort, elbow grease*, endeavor, exertion, functioning, grind, grindstone*, industry, job, moil, muscle, obligation, pains*, performance, production, push, salt… …   New thesaurus

  • Work — Título Charlot, empapelador o Carlitos empapelador o Charlot trabaja Ficha técnica Dirección Charles Chaplin …   Wikipedia Español

  • Work It — «Work It» Sencillo de Nelly y Justin Timberlake del álbum Nellyville Formato Disco compacto Género(s) Rap Duración 4:22 …   Wikipedia Español

  • work it — informal phrase to arrange for something to happen I’ll try and work it so we can leave early today. Thesaurus: to make plans or arrangementssynonym Main entry: work * * * ˈwork it/things …   Useful english dictionary

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