buildup

noun build·up \ ˈbild-ˌəp \

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Examples: buildup in a Sentence

Definition of buildup

1 : something produced by building up

fluid buildup in the lungs

2 : the act or process of building up

See buildup defined for English-language learners

See buildup defined for kids

Examples of buildup in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of buildup from the Web

The impact of the flood was increased by the buildup of sediment in the river.

— mike snyder, Houston Chronicle, "Contract awarded for San Jacinto River dredging," 9 July 2018
The current thinking is that inflammation helps lead to a buildup of plaque within the blood vessels which the body attempt to wall off from the flow of blood.

— sarah jacoby, SELF, "The Science on Weight and Health," 26 June 2018
The disease, which affects about 30,000 Americans, leads to a buildup of sticky mucus in the lungs and can lead to death by respiratory failure by the time many people are 40.

— katie thomas, New York Times, "A Drug Costs $272,000 a Year. Not So Fast, Says New York State.," 24 June 2018
The long-standing amyloid hypothesis posits that symptoms are triggered by the buildup of amyloid beta brain plaques, but trials of drugs that attempt to clear these plaques have so far flopped.

— melinda wenner moyer, Scientific American, "Harder Evidence Builds that Viruses Play a Role in Alzheimer’s," 21 June 2018
The most traditional theory is that a diverticulum becomes blocked for one reason or another, leading to buildup of bacteria, mucus and fluid.

— andrea k. mcdaniels, baltimoresun.com, "Diverticulitis can cause digestive problems for some," 7 June 2018
Scientists are unsure whether the blockage will eventually end eruptions at the summit or lead to a buildup of pressure that could cause a much bigger explosion.

— author: terray sylvester, Anchorage Daily News, "Three people trapped by lava airlifted to safety near Hawaii volcano," 4 June 2018
Over recent years, the OECD has backed a switch to fiscal from monetary stimulus, fearing that very low-interest rates would lead to a buildup in debt and increase the risk of another financial crisis.

— paul hannon, WSJ, "Italy Crisis Highlights Need for Urgent Eurozone Reform, Says OECD," 30 May 2018
Plastic straws contribute to the buildup of trash in the oceans, a major environmental and public health problem, Assemblyman Ian Calderon said.

— Washington Post, "Californians may have to request plastic straws at eateries," 30 May 2018

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.

First Known Use of buildup

1926

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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build up

verb

Definition of build up

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

—

builder-upper

play \ˈbil-dər-ˈə-pər\ noun

Examples of build up in a Sentence

static electricity built up on the cat's fur
the roller coaster built up momentum

Recent Examples of build up from the Web

The exercises that build up strength and promote balance can help preserve and improve the condition of the nerves, postponing their deterioration.

— lynn peterson mobley, Washington Post, "My athletic husband stumbled. He was tired. He had a disease we’d never heard of.," 8 July 2018
The restaurant is a traditional, sit-down, white tablecloth restaurant with a large dining room and buffet service that has built up a following over the years, with families celebrating weddings, birthdays, religious holidays, and other milestones.

— pioneer press, chicagotribune.com, "'This is not easy for me': Old Warsaw to close in Harwood Heights as PDQ restaurant aims to move in," 7 July 2018
That funding, aimed at giving the UFW time to build up the trust fund’s reserves, is secure through 2021, according to the bill, which was sponsored by the UFW and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2015.

— geoffrey mohan, latimes.com, "How California's farm labor shortage made friends of old rivals," 6 July 2018
The companies also said the drug reduced the amount of clumps of a protein called beta amyloid that build up in the brains of patients.

— peter loftus, WSJ, "Drugmakers Call Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug Study Positive," 6 July 2018
What might seem like a several-month whirlwind romance to most appears to have actually been a slow burn that steadily built up over several years.

— hanna lustig, Teen Vogue, "Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson's Relationship: A Timeline," 25 June 2018
In recent years, the Kim regime has also pointed to the fate of countries such as Libya and Iraq as a reason to build up a strong deterrent.

— james griffiths, CNN, "How the Trump-Kim summit is playing in North Korea," 11 June 2018
Some characters and plot beats feel hollow without time to build up.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "Vampyr review: Dead in the daylight," 6 June 2018
For instance, the report asserts that the whales’ age can only be ascertained by analyzing earwax plugs that build up over time.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Japan Killed 112 Pregnant Whales in the Name of Scientific Research," 30 May 2018

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

First Known Use of build up

1555

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

build up Synonyms

BUILDUP Defined for English Language Learners

buildup

noun

Definition of buildup for English Language Learners

: an increase in something that occurs as time passes
: things that are said to cause people to feel excited about something (such as a future event) or someone (such as a performer)
: a series of things that lead to an important event or occurrence