phrasal verb · neutral
run up to
/rʌn ʌp tuː/run·UP·to
to approach somebody quickly; (as noun phrase 'run-up to') the period of time immediately before an event
Examples
“She ran up to the author after the talk and asked for a selfie.”
“In the run-up to the exams, students usually study much longer hours.”
“I ran up to the counter to pay before the shop closed.”
Band 8 sentence
“In the run‑up to the referendum, political debates dominated both television and social media.”
Collocations
- in the run-up to
- run up to someone
Word family
Common mistakes
I ran to him and asked for a photo.→I ran up to him and asked for a photo.
In the run up exam, students work harder.→In the run-up to the exam, students work harder.
Say it for a higher band
5approach→6go up to→7+run up to
Synonyms
approach
Easily confused
run to
“When my bike broke down I ran to my neighbour for help.”
Related words
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