run-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈrən-ˌəp 

1

: the act of running up something

2

: a usually sudden increase in volume or price

3

: a period immediately preceding an action or event

run up

2 of 2

verb

ran up; run up; running up; runs up

intransitive verb

: to grow rapidly : shoot up

transitive verb

1

: bid up

2

: to stitch together quickly

3

: to erect hastily

4

: to achieve by accumulating

ran up a big lead

Examples of run-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Many cities now experiencing price declines also saw big run-ups in home valuations during the pandemic, such as Austin, Texas. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 1 May 2026

Mario Tama / Getty Images file In a report whose data was largely compiled before the recent run-up, Bank of America analysts found that so far, only lower-income households were seeing a significant impact on their budgets from higher gas prices. —Rob Wile, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026

Verb

Two onlookers actually ran up to the squad car Davis was being put into and had to be briefly restrained by officers. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026

Fellow eighth-grader Destiny Cornelius also ran up to help and noticed that Taylor was holding an inhaling device, known as a nebulizer. —Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for run-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

run up

verb

: to cause to pile up : accumulate

ran up a big telephone bill