build-out

noun

ˈbild-ˌau̇t 

variants or less commonly buildout

plural build-outs also buildouts

1

a

: work done to make a structure or system ready for use or to bring a construction or development project to a completed state

When the build-out of the campus is complete, as many as 7,500 students will attend class there.

—Janis L. Magin

b

: work done to expand a system (such as a telecommunications system)

The buildout of new infrastructure for digital cellular telephony is at such an early stage that it's impossible to predict what the performance of some of the systems will be.

—Brian C. Fenton

c

: a project or process involving such work

Of course, the Chinese are traveling and spending more in their own country too, in part because of a gigantic infrastructure build-out; China will have constructed more high-speed-rail capacity by the end of the decade than is currently operating in the rest of the world, some 10,000 miles' (16,000 km) worth.

—Bill Saporito

2

: a state in which an area has been fully developed

At build-out, the community is planned to include retail, restaurant and office space, a hotel, urban-style and loft apartments, townhomes, and condominiums.

—The Flower Mound (Texas) Leader

Examples of build-out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

DeSantis touted the relative ease and economy of setting up the north facility at a pre-existing prison, estimating the build-out cost to be $6 million. —Kate Payne, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025

The average build-out cost per mile of fiber for internet service per mile can run as high as $80,000 for underground cable & $40,000 for aerial cable. —PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2025

While local connection is a cornerstone and advantage of franchising, franchise owners must navigate rising build-out and labor costs, more sophisticated competition and evolving member expectations around flexibility, technology and service. —Jason Anderson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Dodge's lineup build-out comes as automakers are grappling with changing policies surrounding electric vehicles under the Trump administration. —Ali McCadden, CNBC, 8 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for build-out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout