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
  • The atomic and process modeling done within developing LMR cells, said Theyyunni, required three times the compute capacity that modeling the combustion processes for a gasoline engine does.
    — John Voelcker, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Peacock has been developing a reboot of another, Friday Night Lights.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of developing
Verb
  • But since the start of the war, Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria have continued upgrading their navies while forging closer cooperation on maritime security, according to Carnegie.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The world seems to be composed of many varied individuals, each forging their own path.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of forging
Verb
  • Another interesting direction is canvas bags paired with exotic-leather pouches, creating a contrast between materials and textures.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The corals themselves are bigger than cars, their delicate arms creating a dense underwater maze.
    — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of creating
Verb
  • Yen is now writing a fresh draft and working out the film’s visual style.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • In a recent Instagram post, the 61-year-old supermodel shared her gym routine with her many followers, and shared working out has helped her in more ways than one.
    — Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of working out
Verb
  • Mandel started hammering out the pilot with showrunner Patrick Somerville (the two currently have permission to sell the scripts should another network show interest) but spent most of her days thinking about what her next novel might be.
    — Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
  • However, both sides of the debate left the door open to hammering out a potential compromise in the coming days before either version faces a vote by the full City Council.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of hammering out

Browse Nearby Words

workings
working up
workingwoman
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Cite this Entry

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

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