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Glite Dictionary
📈 A rapid increase 🏃 A running start
run-up

run-up

1 4.2
A quick approach an athlete makes to gain speed before a jump or throw
  • noun
  • /ˈrʌnˌʌp/
translation icon : carrera de aproximación
  • Do you think Bill won't be doing the same for Hillary in the run-up to 2016 (and think about how much he owes her regarding his miscreancy)?

The bigger the gap, the longer the run up.

Examples

  • What's been the run up to what, what we will read there, what will appear there in print or or online?

  • Perhaps the timing shouldn't come as a surprise: over the last decade, Israel has embarked on four large-scale military operations that have all taken place within a six-month run-up to an election.

    Blog text (30)

  • It's the week-long run-up to the game that presents the heavy lifting.

    Blog text (27)

  • The best position for these shots is behind the athletes at the run-up strip, using a 300mm lens.

    Academic text (2008)

  • While lawmakers have left the nation's capital to return home to campaign in the run-up to the Nov. 6 election, AOA will keep up the pressure on Congress to come together on a plan that would avert massive Medicare pay cuts.

    Blog text (30)

  • Our man, Pat Cummins, isn't your archetypical fast bowler, as he doesn't have a run-up starting from the boundary line like the Rawalpindi Express.

    Blog text (19)

  • Finally, to keep the pole from flapping excessively during the vaulter's run-up—which is crucial—requires a minimum beam stiffness.

    Academic text (1999)

  • During the run-up to the Iraq war, American media outlets including most tv networks... ...and the NY Times relayed the adminstration’s spin on... ...the threat posed by Iraq without much question.

    WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception (2004)

  • Before jumping, the athlete needs a proper run-up to gain speed.

  • The coach emphasized the importance of the run-up for achieving a successful leap.

Synonyms

running start
vsrun-up
3 3.4

A quick, strong beginning that gives an early advantage

is a sporting approach that gathers speed before a jump or a throw

Antonyms

halt
109 2.3

A stop in movement or activity

standstill
35 3.5

A time when movement or activity stops completely

How Fast

sprint
55 2.1
run-up
1 4.2

Surface Forms

run-up singular
run-ups plural

Morphology

run-up = run (transparent) = up + run

The noun refers directly to a 'run' in the direction 'up' — a running approach or starting run, which is a literal compounding of the two words. [Postprocessing: moved 'up' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Run-up comes from the simple parts run and up, with up giving the idea of 'towards' the action. So a run-up is the short running start an athlete makes to gain speed before a jump or throw.