work up an appetite

Meaning

To do physical activity, exercise, or hard work that makes you feel hungry and ready to eat a hearty meal. It is a very common idiom used when planning activities before dining.

Examples

• We went for a long hike in the mountains to work up an appetite for dinner.

  We went for a long hike in the mountains to work up an appetite for dinner.

• Cleaning the entire house all morning really worked up an appetite.

  Cleaning the entire house all morning really worked up an appetite.

• Let's play a game of tennis first so we can work up an appetite.

  Let's play a game of tennis first so we can work up an appetite.

• After swimming in the cold pool for two hours, the kids had worked up quite an appetite.

  After swimming in the cold pool for two hours, the kids had worked up quite an appetite.

• I need to go for a run to work up an appetite before we go to the buffet.

  I need to go for a run to work up an appetite before we go to the buffet.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I made up an appetite after running.

  ✓ I worked up an appetite after running.

  The correct verb is 'work', not 'make' or 'do'.

• ✗ The long walk worked me up an appetite.

  ✓ The long walk worked up an appetite for me.

  'Work up an appetite' is a fixed idiomatic phrase and does not usually take a pronoun object between 'work' and 'up'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• A brisk walk in the cold winter air is a great way to ___.

  💡 To make yourself hungry through physical activity.

  Show answer

  work up an appetite

• All that gardening has really ___ for lunch.

  💡 Use the past participle form after 'has'.

  Show answer

  worked up an appetite