worked up

adjective

: emotionally aroused : excited

Examples of worked up in a Sentence

What is she so worked up about? He got all worked up over the football game.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thankfully, the star worked up the courage to try again. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 20 Jan. 2023 But 36 years and much personal growth later, Chozen finally worked up the (liquid) courage to put his feelings into action after a gentle push from LaRusso himself in the fifth season's penultimate episode. Ew Staff, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2022 Back in 2009, Ernie Niemi, an environmental and economic development consultant, worked up a forecast for how climate change would affect New Mexico’s economy at various points in the future. Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 10 Dec. 2022 How Jess, a cosmetologist by trade, worked up the nerve to do home brewing when the Army transferred Rich to Colorado. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2022 See all Example Sentences for worked up 

Word History

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of worked up was in 1835

Dictionary Entries Near worked up

Cite this Entry

“Worked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worked%20up. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

worked up

adjective
: emotionally excited
all worked up over the football game

More from Merriam-Webster on worked up

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!