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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After losing everything, Dean turns to coaching youth hockey and develops meaningful relationships with the kids.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
-
Trust develops through a substantial body of online content, including articles, podcasts, videos, and books.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Either way, Czernowin forges a logic that integrates disparate, unpredictable events.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Wardley started out in white-collar boxing rather than the amateur scene that forges so many champions.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Verb
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This creates true David-versus-Goliath scenarios, matches between the best teams in the world and those on the very fringes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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Scott Ellis creates these incredibly warm, playful rooms where a small group of people can really come together and tell a story.—
Shivani Vora,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Over the past three months, the price of coffee at the grocery store has been rising at a pace that works out to more than 22% annually.—
Allie Canal,
NBC news,
12 May 2026
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The Take-Two CEO doesn’t drink, smoke, and works out nearly every day, and sometimes twice a day, Business Insider reported.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
6 May 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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Rosenberg crafts these two characters with realistic resonance, though his film veers into sentimentality and some plot points are too coincidental to be entirely believable.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
19 May 2026
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Sculptor Maddy Inez, granddaughter of Betye Saar, crafts a series of ceramic vessels — each an ode to different plants brought over during the transatlantic slave trade — reframing gardening as an act of resistance.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Works up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/works%20up. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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