: an intensive diagnostic study especially for medical purposes
: an unintended mark on a printed sheet caused by the rising of spacing material
worked up; working up; works up
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
: to rise gradually in intensity or emotional tone
Synonyms
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
Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
Your medical provider may uncover other diagnoses that need to be addressed as part of the workup for your sleep problem.
—Mill Etienne, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
David Axe, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025
Helping people overcome treatment-resistant depression begins with a thorough work-up to ensure a proper diagnosis.
—Karen Pallarito, Health, 2 June 2024
Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 9 Jan. 2025
Back in their home town of Memphis, the band half-heartedly worked up a few new songs and fought among themselves with increasing ferocity.
—Mitch Therieau, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for workup 
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Noun
Although the new study suggests that abnormal findings on cfDNA require additional workup, that is not currently the standard of care, said Dr. Emeline Aviki, gynecologic oncologist at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center – Long Island.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
Your medical provider may uncover other diagnoses that need to be addressed as part of the workup for your sleep problem.
—Mill Etienne, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
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 in western Ukraine, Poland and France.
—David Axe, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025
Helping people overcome treatment-resistant depression begins with a thorough work-up to ensure a proper diagnosis.
—Karen Pallarito, Health, 2 June 2024
Verb
Just as things became official, the Charlotte Hornets were working up a lather, running through team drills not far from where smoke billowed into the Southern California sky.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 9 Jan. 2025
Back in their home town of Memphis, the band half-heartedly worked up a few new songs and fought among themselves with increasing ferocity.
—Mitch Therieau, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for workup
Dictionary Entries Near workup
Cite this Entry
“Workup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/workup. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical 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
: to perform a diagnostic workup upon
work up a patient
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