1
as in to increase
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
static electricity built up on the cat's fur
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to gain
to gradually increase in
the roller coaster built up momentum
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to accumulate
to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass
evidence that the toxic chemical builds up in the bloodstream to unhealthy levels
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to expand
to make greater in size, amount, or number
he patiently built up his coin collection over several decades the young stockbroker worked hard to build up a clientele
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in promotion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of build up
Emma Sarappo, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2025
As economic landscapes evolve rapidly, diversifying income has become less of a luxury and more of a necessity for financial resilience, especially for those looking to build up their retirement funds.
—Marco Buscaglia, Boston Herald, 24 Mar. 2025
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2025
Everyone is a suspect, and there’s a lot of buildup to finding out what happened at a fateful St. Patrick’s Day party 15 years prior — especially when Chelsea (Ilana Glazer) makes a mysterious reference to an incident that made the entire school ostracize her.
—Marianne Eloise, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for build up
Verb
One crucial scene midway through the story illustrates the pressure that’s been building up inside her and the benefit of letting it out.
—Emma Sarappo, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2025
As economic landscapes evolve rapidly, diversifying income has become less of a luxury and more of a necessity for financial resilience, especially for those looking to build up their retirement funds.
—Marco Buscaglia, Boston Herald, 24 Mar. 2025
Noun
Use microbial drain cleaners to dissolve organic buildup.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2025
Everyone is a suspect, and there’s a lot of buildup to finding out what happened at a fateful St. Patrick’s Day party 15 years prior — especially when Chelsea (Ilana Glazer) makes a mysterious reference to an incident that made the entire school ostracize her.
—Marianne Eloise, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for build up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for build up
Verb
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The change was stark, as Paramount has been a leader in promoting diversity in Hollywood, championing initiatives to increase representation on-screen through programming as well as behind the scenes, through programs designed to diversify writers, directors and producers.—
Doug Melville,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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San Diego’s payroll increased despite shedding Ha-Seong Kim (Tampa) and Jurickson Profar (these very Braves).—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The project gained the U.K. musician a cult following eager for even the smallest hints of new music — often delivered in the form of ephemeral snippets posted and then quickly deleted on Jim’s TikTok.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2025
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The iPhone maker is used to grappling with a challenging market in China – particularly as domestic tech brands gain more traction in the country.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Scientists have accumulated evidence for this approach by studying natural events that have flung small particles into the atmosphere.—
Ramin Skibba,
WIRED,
22 Mar. 2025
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Across all episodes, the series accumulated 1.81B minutes viewed, posting its second-best weekly performance ever, behind the week that the series debuted in 2022.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In this slice-of-life portrait, Chen shows how childhood experiences can shape someone, illustrating how a childhood passion might expand their horizons without necessarily becoming a lifelong vocation.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
29 Mar. 2025
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Several hours later, the judge expanded his order to prevent the Trump administration from deporting any migrants believed to be members of Tren de Aragua under the Alien Enemies Act.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Maybe what people are picking up on regarding Meghan in the same fashion is the promotion of herself as someone who’s similarly flawless and radiant and lovely in her clothes and making these gorgeous bountiful gift baskets for her friends, with lavender towels in her fridge.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
28 Mar. 2025
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Nike has other picks on sale—pretty much every category on their site has some kind of promotion going on—including a bunch of top-selling sneaks.—
Gina Vaynshteyn,
StyleCaster,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Thai breakout star has risen to fame after landing his first major on-screen acting gig playing Gaitok on season 3 of The White Lotus.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
23 Mar. 2025
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Arizona runs an aggressive, attack-minded offense led by Caleb Love — a volatile but fearless scorer who might go cold for stretches, yet somehow always rises to the moment when the game’s on the line.—
Tobias Bass,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The crowd of about 100 people gathered at 2200 Joe B. Rushing Road to listen to Texas Rep. Nicole Collier, who spoke with a replica P-51 Mustang behind her.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Mar. 2025
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Hundreds of people had gathered on a brilliant spring Sunday morning to say goodbye and catch a first glimpse of Francis, who seemed to be gasping for air.—
NICOLE WINFIELD,
TIME,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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After the combination mixes and ignites in the combustion chamber, the resulting high-pressure gases produce thrust and eventually accelerate the rocket into the hypersonic realm.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
22 Mar. 2025
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This flywheel is then accelerated even further since Austin is now home to some of the world’s leading investors, like Jim Breyer, the legendary VC who has been on the boards of Dell, Etsy, Facebook, Marvel, Spotify, Wal-Mart, and 21st Century Fox.—
Amir Husain,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Build up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/build%20up. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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