buildup
or build-up
a building up, as of military forces; increase in amount or number.
a process of growth; strengthening; development: the buildup of heavy industry.
an accumulation, as of a particular type of material: a buildup of salt deposits.
an increase, as in potential, intensity, or pressure: A buildup of suspense began halfway through the movie.
a progressive or sequential development: the buildup of helium atoms from hydrogen.
praise or publicity designed to enhance a reputation or popularize someone or something: The studio spent $100,000 on the new star's buildup.
a process of preparation designed to make possible the achievement of an ultimate objective: a lengthy buildup to a sales pitch.
encouragement; a psychological lift: Every time I need a buildup, I look at her picture.
Origin of buildup
1Words Nearby buildup
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use buildup in a sentence
Despite the media buildup stressing the tenseness of Washington’s mood, one didn’t feel the anxiety.
America yearns for an era of good feeling. The inaugural ceremony launched one. | Peter Marks | January 20, 2021 | Washington PostThe fan will help speed up the evaporation mechanism and distribute moisture over a wider area, the larger water tank will accommodate infrequent water changes, and the filter will prevent large-scale dust and mold buildup.
The best humidifier: Fight dry air (and a dry nose) all winter long | PopSci Commerce Team | January 15, 2021 | Popular-ScienceTokyo’s supporters will point out that the buildup to every Games is dogged by problems.
There’s a great deal of slow story buildup until the last 10 minutes or so, at which point about three movies’ worth of plot hit at once.
In Herself, a Young Dublin Mother Builds a House to Find Her Way Home | Stephanie Zacharek | January 8, 2021 | TimeAs we age, the scaffolding on which our cells sit accumulates protein buildup that makes it stiffer.
Cracking the code of biological aging could solve America’s health care crisis | matthewheimer | December 30, 2020 | Fortune
Never mind the huge buildup of clandestine operatives and secret warriors since 9/11.
ISIS Fight Has a Spy Shortage, Intel Chair Says | Kimberly Dozier | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe whole season for me was about the buildup to the wedding.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Personal Stories Behind His 'Modern Family' Marriage Arc | Jesse Tyler Ferguson | August 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThat sounds small, but the buildup of Hezbollah forces in Syria was gradual, too.
The core of the story is set against the backdrop of the Iraq invasion, the buildup, and the immediate aftermath.
Newsweek Takedown From Beyond the Grave: Michael Hastings’s Fiction Tells the Truth | Christopher Dickey | June 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAlthough USGA still operates, many LGBT undergrads feel it went down hill after an initial buildup.
But they did not alter the basic war orientation of their economies and they pressed on with the industrial-military buildup.
East-West Trade Trends | Harold E. StassenOf course it was another piece of callow whistling in the dark, but it was a buildup, too.
The Planet Strappers | Raymond Zinke GallunFinally, we shifted our emphasis from defense to domestic problems while our adversaries continued a massive buildup of arms.
In other free countries the defense buildup has created severe economic problems.
State of the Union Addresses of Harry S. Truman | Harry S. TrumanFrom the big buildup, he had had half a notion that the President himself might be there.
Damned If You Don't | Gordon Randall Garrett
British Dictionary definitions for build up
(tr) to construct gradually, systematically, and in stages
to increase, accumulate, or strengthen, esp by degrees: the murmur built up to a roar
(intr) to prepare for or gradually approach a climax
(tr) to improve the health or physique of (a person)
(tr, usually passive) to cover (an area) with buildings
(tr) to cause (a person, enterprise, etc) to become better known; publicize: they built several actresses up into stars
progressive increase in number, size, etc: the build-up of industry
a gradual approach to a climax or critical point
the training and practice that constitutes the preparation for a particular event or competition: the team's Olympic build-up
extravagant publicity or praise, esp in the form of a campaign
military the process of attaining the required strength of forces and equipment, esp prior to an operation
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with buildup
Fill an area with houses or other buildings, urbanize. For example, We want to protect the wetlands against those who want to build up the area. [c. 1400]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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