Run up
2 meanings · select one to explore
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To let a bill, debt, or cost build up quickly
Example sentence
She ran up a huge credit card bill on vacation.
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
Don’t see captions? Click the CC button on the video to turn them on.
Don’t see captions? Click the CC button on the video to turn them on.
Don’t see captions? Click the CC button on the video to turn them on.
Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
Common pattern: run up + bill/debt (noun)
run up a bill
run up debt
run up a tab
run up costs
run up the score
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
She ran up a huge bill. ✅ (Correct)
She ran a huge bill up. ✅ (Correct)