Work up means to build something up through effort: work up an appetite, work up the courage, work up a sweat (sweat a lot). The second meaning is get worked up: to get upset or agitated about something, usually more than it deserves.
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work up + an appetite/the courage/a sweat; work up the courage to + verb; get worked up about/over + something
- After a long walk along the beach, we'd worked up a huge appetite.
- Twenty minutes of skipping is enough to work up a good sweat.
- My dad gets really worked up about politics whenever the news is on.
What changed
First versionI go to the gym three times a week to work up.
RevisionI go to the gym three times a week to work out.
To exercise is work out, with no object: I work out at the gym. Work up is never used without an object in that sense: it's always about what you build up, whether appetite, courage or sweat: work up a sweat.
Worked up isn't just unhappy, like upset; it means agitated, on edge: He got worked up and started shouting. Upset can be quiet: She was upset and didn't say a word all evening.
Your turn
Don't get so ___ about one bad mark — you can retake the test next month.
Show the answer
worked up — The person is too worried about one bad mark, so it's get worked up, “get upset”. Worked out is used about a solved problem or a workout, and after get so it doesn't make sense.
Describe a time when you had to build up your courage. Say what exactly you were trying to do and how long it took.
It took me almost a month to work up the courage to call my landlord and complain about the noise.
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