workup

1 of 3

noun (1)

work·​up ˈwərk-ˌəp 

: an intensive diagnostic study especially for medical purposes

work-up

2 of 3

noun (2)

ˈwərk-ˌəp 

: an unintended mark on a printed sheet caused by the rising of spacing material

work up

3 of 3

verb

worked up; working up; works up

transitive verb

1

: to stir up : rouse

2

: to produce by mental or physical work

worked up a comedy act

worked up a sweat in the gym

intransitive verb

: to rise gradually in intensity or emotional tone

Synonyms

Verb

• carve (out)
• develop
• forge
• grind (out)
• hammer out
• thrash (out)
• work out

Examples of workup in a Sentence

Verb

spent years working up a period novel that was historically accurate in every detail

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But first, before putting you on a birth control pill or other form of contraception, your doctor will do a full workup to make sure that irregular bleeding is not caused by any other serious conditions, like endometrial cancer, explains Goldman. —Mara Santilli, Flow Space, 26 Feb. 2025

The wolves were flown to a base camp where a state crew outfitted them with satellite collars and completed a workup that included taking body measurements and blood and DNA samples. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025

Noun

But around 1,700 of those 5,800 troops went absent without leave from the brigade at some point during its nine-month work-up. —David Axe, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025

But around 1,700 of those 5,800 troops went absent without leave from the brigade at some point during its nine-month work-up in western Ukraine, Poland and France. —David Axe, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025

Verb

While initially working in a hair salon in his hometown of Houston, Guerrero worked up the courage to move to L.A. to pursue his dreams. —Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2025

If all that fun works up an appetite, never fear—Okana has 13 different dining venues. —Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1939, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1903, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

work up

verb

1

: to stir up

worked up support for the project

2

: to produce by mental or physical work

worked up a sweat at the gym

Medical Definition

workup

1 of 2 noun

work·​up ˈwər-ˌkəp 

: an intensive diagnostic study

a gastrointestinal workup

a psychiatric workup

work up

2 of 2 transitive verb

ˌwər-ˈkəp, ˈwər- 

: to perform a diagnostic workup upon

work up a patient