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

While this infrastructure build-out is a boon for industrial metrics, the outlook for humans is markedly less rosy. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2026

Elaborate build-outs typically require multiple specialized teams at every level — from fuel injection and bodywork to upholstery — whereas Vera does all of her work in-house with her own team, handling the interior, fabrication and installation. —Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026

The lack of a proper door to enclose a hotel room’s bathroom seems to be a trend gaining traction in recent years, as hotels try to make small rooms feel bigger or save money on their room build-outs. —Joseph Erbentraut, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Feb. 2026

Johnson, 52, who previously worked in health management and community development, campaigned partly on reining in the data-center build-out and forcing the projects to pay their own way. —Andrew R. Chow, Time, 19 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for build-out

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