work up sth
— phrasal verb with work uk/wɜːk/us/wɝːk/verb
to develop an emotional or physical state that you feel strongly, after a period of effort or time:
We worked up a real appetite climbing in the mountains.
It's strange, but I can't work up any enthusiasm for going on this trip.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Effort and expending energy
- apply
- assiduous
- be running on empty idiom
- bust a gut idiom
- concentrated
- conscientious
- fight
- jump
- mightily
- mind
- overcompensate
- pains
- painstaking
- painstakingly
- shot
- slog
- slugger
- strenuous
- thirsty work
- trial and error
See more results »