1. work up - Noun
2. work up - Verb
form or accumulate steadily
bolster or strengthen
develop
come up with
Source: WordNetwork-up
We may yet work up to some serious shooting war, or maybe some acts of urban genocide committed with rogue nuclear weapons. But if that were the case, why would we call that "9/11"? If Washington disappeared in a mushroom cloud, we'd give that huge event a different name. Bruce Sterling
Then for the next eleven years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you.". "Without success," I add. "Without success. Suzanne Collins
It was like being given a maths problem when your brain's exhausted, and you know there's some far-off solution, but you can't work up the energy even to give it a go. Something in me just gave up. Kazuo Ishiguro
There are rhythmic ideas which sometimes only work up to a point. In writing there are moments when it just comes off the page, it's not just a collection of notes. Harrison Birtwistle
Without pay, no human being will work up to their ability if he or she is not cared for and respected. William Glasser
Conventional turbines only work up to 200 feet, but capturing a small fraction of the global wind energy at higher altitudes could be sufficient to supply the current energy needs of the globe. Saul Griffith