1
as in increasing
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 growing (in)
to gradually increase in
the roller coaster built up momentum
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in accumulating
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 expanding
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of building up
While the petition is just the latest in an ongoing crusade to tame the streets, tension in the neighborhood is building up, and for good reason.
—
Anne Kadet, Curbed, 29 May 2026
Brown is still building up his pitch count with his transition from the bullpen to the rotation, requiring high efficiency facing Major League Baseball’s best offense to give them that many outs.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2026
According to Gabrielle Correale, Ground Up’s director of marketing, the shoe firm is responsible for building up each brand’s footwear category.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Long is in the process of building up to full fitness following his return from Achilles surgery.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
The divisions underscore the West’s challenges in combating China; following decades of building up its supply chains, Beijing now controls 90% of global processing.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Aside from building up a slight static charge, the Artemis 2 commander said the flywheel was impressive.
—Tariq Malik, Space.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Helping the club’s cause was Schlittler, who was expectedly restricted to 68 pitches after a spring training back/lat injury prevented him from fully building up.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026
In the earliest of these changes, a tangled version of a protein called tau starts building up in a tiny region deep in the brain involved in sleep, attention and alertness, called the locus coeruleus.
—Elizabeth Riley, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Anne Kadet, Curbed, 29 May 2026
Brown is still building up his pitch count with his transition from the bullpen to the rotation, requiring high efficiency facing Major League Baseball’s best offense to give them that many outs.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2026
According to Gabrielle Correale, Ground Up’s director of marketing, the shoe firm is responsible for building up each brand’s footwear category.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Long is in the process of building up to full fitness following his return from Achilles surgery.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
The divisions underscore the West’s challenges in combating China; following decades of building up its supply chains, Beijing now controls 90% of global processing.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Aside from building up a slight static charge, the Artemis 2 commander said the flywheel was impressive.
—Tariq Malik, Space.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Helping the club’s cause was Schlittler, who was expectedly restricted to 68 pitches after a spring training back/lat injury prevented him from fully building up.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026
In the earliest of these changes, a tangled version of a protein called tau starts building up in a tiny region deep in the brain involved in sleep, attention and alertness, called the locus coeruleus.
—Elizabeth Riley, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for building up
Verb
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The pacemaker transformed cardiac medicine by dramatically increasing survival rates for patients with arrhythmias and heart block, becoming one of the most important life-saving medical technologies ever created.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
28 May 2026
-
Rain and storm chances are increasing in the afternoon.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Immune cells here degraded old and damaged red blood cells, accumulating iron from the hemoglobin for a short period.—
Kasha Patel,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
-
Attendance diminished in recent years as the Wizards tore down their roster in the hopes of accumulating draft picks in trades and losing enough games to win early picks via the annual draft lottery.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
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That could result in a BLEVE, or boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion, which would have caused widespread damage and released toxic material into the air.—
Iris Kwok,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
-
Shutto, a luxury shuttle service, is expanding into Dallas ahead of the tournament.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The efforts highlight Son’s growing ambitions to secure data center bases in major locations across the globe as AI companies race to acquire sufficient computing power and meet rising demand for their services.—
Benoit Berthelot,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
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On the other hand, when prices are high and rising, voters may not particularly care about things like Talarico's meat consumption, says Cliff Walker, who works at a Texas progressive strategy firm.—
Danielle Kurtzleben,
NPR,
30 May 2026
Verb
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New Delhi is also keen on gaining access to some of Myanmar's extensive rare earths deposits-though China, which controls much of the rare earths supply chain in the area, is unlikely to agree.—
Michael Sullivan,
NPR,
30 May 2026
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The operations were launched in response to community concerns about minors gaining access to restricted products.—
Bay City News Service,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Instead of retreating from global trade, many small and mid-sized companies are leaning in and even accelerating global expansion.—
Greg Hewitt,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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As management teams navigate geopolitical turbulence, persistent inflation, and accelerating AI adoption, large companies are turning increasingly to partnerships with smaller firms — often through corporate venture arrangements.—
Serguei Netessine,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
Verb
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People may experience redness, swelling and little bumps on the inside of the eyelids.—
Neelam Patadia,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
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Officers saw bleeding from her eyebrow, redness and swelling on the top of her head and a bite mark on her cheek.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Like, all the ad dollars are now rolling up into social media.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2026
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Doing so, officials say, helps protect not only those rolling up their sleeves but those who cannot get vaccinated, such as the very youngest children.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Building up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/building%20up. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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