as in develops
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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Recent Examples of works up
The Jetz-Scrubz sponge (awkward to say, easy to use) quickly works up super fine suds from your dish soap, making for a very satisfying and effective cleaning experience.
—
Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Feb. 2026
These stylistic parameters, however, feel established purely so the film can wrestle against them, which works up to a point.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
The whole episode works up to Dorit and Amanda’s confrontation at Dorit and Erika’s birthday dinner.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Smalltown Boy works up the courage to ask Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) to dance, and now their hands are all over each other, much to the chagrin of Smalltown Boy’s ex, Personal Jesus, who is going through the motions of dancing with Caribbean Queen but keeps looking over his shoulder.
—Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Feb. 2026
These stylistic parameters, however, feel established purely so the film can wrestle against them, which works up to a point.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
The whole episode works up to Dorit and Amanda’s confrontation at Dorit and Erika’s birthday dinner.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Smalltown Boy works up the courage to ask Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) to dance, and now their hands are all over each other, much to the chagrin of Smalltown Boy’s ex, Personal Jesus, who is going through the motions of dancing with Caribbean Queen but keeps looking over his shoulder.
—Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for works up
Verb
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From drawing, everything else develops.—
Eana Kim,
ARTnews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
If Ty Simpson develops into a top NFL quarterback who leads the Rams to a Super Bowl title, the club will look back at the 2026 draft as one of the best and shrewdest in its history.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The three eventually work out their differences but not before Edgar turns Miles’s proto-smart-home devices against him, cancels his credit cards, and forges a criminal record for him.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
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Jaime Alas scores in stoppage time and El Salvador forges a 3-3 tie that ousts the United States from Olympic soccer qualifying.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Sometimes, the plan creates the situation, and the unexpected knockout blow makes the plan look clever.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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August 23 – September 22 One thoughtful move today creates real momentum.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Cobb said that the requirement works out to about a thousand signatures, but that the group is aiming for 1,300.—
Ilana Arougheti
Updated April 28,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
-
That works out to about $207,150 a unit.—
Thomas Gounley,
Denver Post,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Zack James’ shifty drumming hammers out a drum ’n’ bass redux like a panicked heartbeat while Carney Hemler’s bass lurches in slow motion, replicating the gut drop of a horrible realization.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
3 Apr. 2026
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There are a lot of quality hammers out there, but this Craftsman hammer from Amazon is both tough and affordable.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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By vulnerably sharing his journey of estrangement and analyzing its errors and successes, Dolan crafts a helpful roadmap, rife with both personal and expert advice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Though speaking in a heartfelt way can be hard for someone using a second language, many executives of multinational companies do nonetheless make the effort (even if their public relations staff typically crafts the message).—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Works up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/works%20up. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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