work one's way up

noun

to climb something effortfully

“He worked his way up from janitor to regional manager.”

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Meanings

nounwork one's way up (third-person singular simple present works one's way up, present participle working one's way up, simple past and past participle worked one's way up)

present singular third person works one's way up · participle present working one's way up · participle past worked one's way up · past worked one's way up

  1. to climb something effortfully
  2. to reach higher positions through effort after starting at lower levels or the very bottom

    He worked his way up from janitor to regional manager.

    1. to climb the figurative corporate ladder
    2. to rise within a hierarchical order
Cite this entry
APA

work one's way up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/work%20one's%20way%20up

MLA

“work one's way up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/work%20one's%20way%20up. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “work one's way up,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/work%20one's%20way%20up.

Source: work one's way up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.