buildup

build·up | \ ˈbild-ˌəp

How to pronounce buildup (audio)

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Definition of buildup

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : something produced by building up fluid buildup in the lungs

2 : the act or process of building up

build up

built up; building up; builds up

Definition of build up (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to develop gradually by increments building up endurance built up a library

2 : to promote the health, strength, esteem, or reputation of

intransitive verb

: to accumulate or develop appreciably

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Examples of buildup in a Sentence

Noun There is a big traffic buildup on the highway. You should clean the mechanism regularly to prevent buildup of dirt. Both players were given big buildups before the game. Verb static electricity built up on the cat's fur the roller coaster built up momentum

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun These occur when the bacteria in our pores start to mix with the excess buildup of dead skin cells and oil that causes acne. — Jenn Sinrich, SELF, "12 Reasons Why You Might Have Small 'Bumps' on Your Face," 30 Dec. 2020 Harris did it again this fall and was asked about it Tuesday in the buildup to Friday’s Rose Bowl semifinal. — Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, "Najee Harris explains why he pays tribute to soccer star Megan Rapinoe," 29 Dec. 2020 Fire suppression strategies have left forests with a buildup of ready fuel in the form of branches, leaves and other detritus. — Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, "Photos Show Massive Wildfires Devastating Oregon and California," 14 Sep. 2020 The buildup of anthropogenic mass is also linked to the climate crisis. — Matt Simon, Wired, "All the Stuff Humans Make Now Outweighs Earth’s Organisms," 15 Dec. 2020 But the atmospheric buildup of CO2 will register around 2.5 parts per million this year, essentially matching growth rates of the last decade. — Benjamin Storrow, Scientific American, "Pandemic-Driven Drop in CO2 Emissions Imperceptible in Atmosphere," 11 Dec. 2020 The buildup to this week’s summit was framed as the continent’s landmark chance for a reset. — Washington Post, "Europe rallies amid crises, but its divisions show all the more," 11 Dec. 2020 The Navy buildup would add an additional $39 billion by 2026. — Russ Vought And Robert O’brien, WSJ, "The Navy Stops Taking On Water," 9 Dec. 2020 Former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant spoke to reporters for the first time Saturday during the buildup to Tuesday’s matchup. — Michael Gehlken, Dallas News, "Dez Bryant is ‘thankful’ for his time as a Cowboy, looking forward to facing his former team," 5 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The second practice, 50-50, and [Tuesday] about 75% live work and about 25% drill work, just trying to build up each of the three days with an off day [Wednesday]. — Broderick Turner Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Frank Vogel and Anthony Davis see eye-to-eye on cautious approach to Lakers’ preseason," 9 Dec. 2020 On your way home, see more ice on Lake Winnebago at Calumet County Park, where giant ice shoves often build up along the shore in the winter. — Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Frozen falls, lake views and castles: 3 winter day trips from Milwaukee," 27 Nov. 2020 Astronomers had spent decades trying to build up rival reference points in visible light. — Joshua Sokol, Science | AAAS, "Precise maps of millions of bright quasars show our place in the cosmos as never before," 24 Nov. 2020 There should be a filter in place to catch sand and dirt, which can build up and prevent your washing from getting enough water to function efficiently. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How to Clean Your Washing Machine," 18 Nov. 2020 The company is reorganizing, cutting costs and trying to build up its online business. — Maria Halkias, Dallas News, "Bed Bath & Beyond is closing four Texas stores," 23 Sep. 2020 The substantial growth of China’s military is an indication of how quickly the Asian country can build up its nuclear arsenal to a capability that can directly threaten the United States, the head of the U.S. nuclear forces warned on Monday. — Lucas Tomlinson, Fox News, "China's growing military capable of threatening America, head of US nuclear forces warns," 14 Sep. 2020 Walmart has been trying to build up its own advertising business of late. — Marc Bain, Quartz, "America’s largest retailer is taking on Amazon Prime," 4 Sep. 2020 That's where the its strengths really are, and that's where the business opportunity really lies, rather than trying to build up an alternative 5G technology supplier. — Veta Chan, Fortune, "‘Work to your strength’: Huawei’s CTO weighs in on U.S. efforts to build a Huawei alternative," 20 Aug. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'buildup.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

16 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Buildup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buildup. Accessed 17 Jan. 2021.

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