working up

verb

present participle of work up
as in developing
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 working up Some have already talked to a parent; others are working up the nerve. — Carolyn O'Laughlin, CNN Money, 28 June 2026 While working up the nerve to kill her, Loftis discovers that Ruth is secretly the mother of his late wife Lauren (Meredith Casey), making his son Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick) the final descendant. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 June 2026 The other two are still working up to it, but the team isn't going anywhere. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026 Starting from bottom of bowl and working up, mix with your hands (like tossing a salad) until mixture starts to look dry again. — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 June 2026 Opt for lower concentrations (think 5–10% instead of 15–20%) and ease in gradually, starting a few times a week before working up to daily use. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 8 May 2026 Hope is getting dirty, working up a sweat and seeing action. — Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026 In the early 1990s, Porsche quietly began work on a V-10 engine for Formula 1; when that fell through, the idea sat on the shelf until the company began working up plans for a new Le Mans racer towards the end of the decade. — Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2026 All of this adds up to a more comfortable base for visitors to return to after working up a sweat under the desert sun. — Mark Johanson, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for working up
  1. developing
  2. forging
  3. creating
  4. working out
  5. hammering out
Verb
  • SoCal likely in the clear A red blob on the hurricane center's forecast map well south of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula represents a developing tropical system, one that some models show could eventually impact California.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Even the Barbie doll, while often derided for promoting an unhealthy body image for developing children, offered girls a glimpse of a different future than as a wife and mother, Kimmel argues.
    — Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of developing
Verb
  • Now, 15 years later, Cook has catapulted the company to stratospheric heights by forging his own path.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Most school districts are forging ahead with technology in classrooms.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of forging
Verb
  • Running open-weight AI agents and programs has been gaining steam, creating shortages for desktop Macs.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The rest of the lunar surface may take on an eerie reddish-orange hue, creating an impressive 'almost blood moon'.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of creating
Verb
  • Feliciano, a founder of Clearlake Capital in Santa Monica, took the mound at Petco Park on Monday afternoon, working out of a stretch and looking toward an invisible runner at second base before delivering a pitch.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • However, even those without a passion for boxing can enjoy working out with a speed bag.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of working out
Verb
  • After hammering out the details in recent weeks, the Miami-Dade school board agreed Wednesday on a contract for Rafael Villalobos to take the reins as superintendent of the district.
    — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Fox is the first NFL partner to publicly assert a lack of interest in hammering out an early revision of its existing media contract.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of hammering out

Browse Nearby Words

workings
working up
workingwoman
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Working up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/working%20up. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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