build up


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia.

build

 (bĭld)
v. built (bĭlt), build·ing, builds
v.tr.
1. To form by combining materials or parts; construct.
2. To order, finance, or supervise the construction of: The administration built several new housing projects.
3. To develop or give form to according to a plan or process; create: build a nation; built a successful business out of their corner grocery store.
4. To increase or strengthen by adding gradually to: money building interest in a savings account; build support for a political candidate.
5. To establish a basis for; found or ground: build an argument on fact.
v.intr.
1. To make something by combining materials or parts.
2. To engage in the construction or design of buildings: "Each of the three architects built in a different style" (Dwight Macdonald).
3. To develop in magnitude or extent: clouds building on the horizon.
4. To progress toward a maximum, as of intensity: suspense building from the opening scene to the climax.
n.
1. The physical makeup of a person or thing, especially one's physique: an athletic build.
2. Computers Any of various versions of a software product as it is being developed for release to users.
Phrasal Verbs:
build down
To reduce or diminish, especially in a systematic numerical fashion: build down the armed forces in peace time.
build in (or into)
To construct or include as an integral part of: a wall with shelving that was built in; build stability into the economy.
build on (or upon)
To use as a basis or foundation: We must build on our recent success.
build out
To develop all the land available in (an area, such as a municipality).
build up
1. To develop or increase in stages or by degrees: built up the business; building up my endurance for the marathon.
2. To accumulate or collect: sediment building up on the ocean floor.
3. To bolster: build up the product with a massive ad campaign; built up my hopes after the interview.
4. To fill up (an area) with buildings.
Idiom:
build on sand
To provide with an unstable foundation: Having bought only high-risk stocks, my portfolio was built on sand.

[Middle English bilden, from Old English byldan; see bheuə- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

build up

vb (adverb)
1. (tr) to construct gradually, systematically, and in stages
2. to increase, accumulate, or strengthen, esp by degrees: the murmur built up to a roar.
3. (intr) to prepare for or gradually approach a climax
4. (Physiology) (tr) to improve the health or physique of (a person)
5. (Civil Engineering) (tr, usually passive) to cover (an area) with buildings
6. (tr) to cause (a person, enterprise, etc) to become better known; publicize: they built several actresses up into stars.
n
7. a progressive increase in number, size, etc: the build-up of industry.
8. a gradual approach to a climax or critical point
9. (General Sporting Terms) the training and practice that constitute the preparation for a particular event or competition: the team's Olympic build-up.
10. extravagant publicity or praise, esp in the form of a campaign
11. (Military) military the process of attaining the required strength of forces and equipment, esp prior to an operation
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.build up - enlarge, develop, or increase by degrees or in stages; "build up your savings"
increase - make bigger or more; "The boss finally increased her salary"; "The university increased the number of students it admitted"
2.build up - form or accumulate steadily; "Resistance to the manager's plan built up quickly"; "Pressure is building up at the Indian-Pakistani border"
build - develop and grow; "Suspense was building right from the beginning of the opera"
develop - grow, progress, unfold, or evolve through a process of evolution, natural growth, differentiation, or a conducive environment; "A flower developed on the branch"; "The country developed into a mighty superpower"; "The embryo develops into a fetus"; "This situation has developed over a long time"
ramp up, work up, build up, build - bolster or strengthen; "We worked up courage"; "build up confidence"; "ramp up security in the airports"
3.build up - prepare oneself for a military confrontation; "The U.S. is girding for a conflict in the Middle East"; "troops are building up on the Iraqi border"
re-arm, rearm - arm anew; "After the war, the defeated country was not allowed to rearm"
forearm - arm in advance of a confrontation
4.build up - bolster or strengthen; "We worked up courage"; "build up confidence"; "ramp up security in the airports"
increase - make bigger or more; "The boss finally increased her salary"; "The university increased the number of students it admitted"
work up, build, build up, progress - form or accumulate steadily; "Resistance to the manager's plan built up quickly"; "Pressure is building up at the Indian-Pakistani border"
5.build up - change the use of and make available or usable; "develop land"; "The country developed its natural resources"; "The remote areas of the country were gradually built up"
redevelop - change the plans for the use of (land)
ameliorate, improve, meliorate, amend, better - to make better; "The editor improved the manuscript with his changes"
make grow, develop - cause to grow and differentiate in ways conforming to its natural development; "The perfect climate here develops the grain"; "He developed a new kind of apple"
modernise, modernize, develop - become technologically advanced; "Many countries in Asia are now developing at a very fast pace"; "Viet Nam is modernizing rapidly"
settle - establish or develop as a residence; "He settled the farm 200 years ago"; "This land was settled by Germans"
train, educate, prepare, develop - create by training and teaching; "The old master is training world-class violinists"; "we develop the leaders for the future"
develop - generate gradually; "We must develop more potential customers"; "develop a market for the new mobile phone"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

build

verb
1. To make or form (a structure):
2. To create by forming, combining, or altering materials:
3. To create by combining parts or elements:
5. To provide a basis for:
phrasal verb
build in
To construct or include as an integral or permanent part:
phrasal verb
build up
1. To achieve an increase of gradually:
3. To make known vigorously the positive features of (a product):
Informal: pitch, plug.
Slang: push.
4. To increase or seek to increase the importance or reputation of by favorable publicity:
Informal: plug.
Slang: hype.
noun
The physical or constitutional characteristics of a person:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَبْني، يُطَوِّرُ تَدْريجِيّايَزْدادُ
vybudovatvzrůstat
hobeopbygge
kasaantuakasautuakertyävahvistaavarustaa
aukast, hrannast uppefla, styrkja, byggja upp
vzrastať

w>build up

vi
(business)wachsen; (anticyclone, atmosphere)entstehen, sich aufbauen; (residue)sich ablagern; (= increase)zunehmen; (Tech, pressure) → sich erhöhen; the music builds up to a huge crescendodie Musik steigert sich zu einem gewaltigen Crescendo
(traffic)sich verdichten; (queue, line of cars)sich bilden
the parts build up into a complete …die Teile bilden zusammen ein vollständiges
vt sep
businessaufbauen (into zu); financesaufbessern; to build up a reputationsich (dat)einen Namen machen
(= increase) ego, muscles, forcesaufbauen; production, pressuresteigern, erhöhen; forces (= mass)zusammenziehen; healthkräftigen; sb’s confidencestärken; porridge builds you upvon Porridge wirst du groß und stark; growing children need lots of vitamins to build them upKinder im Wachstumsalter brauchen viele Vitamine als Aufbaustoffe; to build up somebody’s hopesjdm Hoffnung(en) machen
(= cover with houses) area, land(ganz) bebauen
(= publicize) personaufbauen; he wasn’t as good as he had been built up to beer war nicht so gut, wie die Werbung erwarten ließ
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

build

(bild) past tense, past participle built (-t) verb
to form or construct from parts. build a house/railway/bookcase.
noun
physical form. a man of heavy build.
ˈbuilder noun
a person who builds houses etc. The builder who built our house has gone bankrupt.
ˈbuilding noun
1. the art or business of putting up (houses etc) (also adjective). a building contractor.
2. anything built. The new supermarket is a very ugly building.
ˈbuilding society
a business firm that lends money for building or buying houses.
ˌbuilt-ˈin adjective
forming a permanent part of the building etc. Built-in cupboards save space.
ˌbuilt-ˈup adjective
covered with houses etc. a built-up area.
build up
1. to increase (the size or extent of). The traffic begins to build up around five o'clock.
2. to strengthen gradually (a business, one's health, reputation etc). His father built up that grocery business from nothing.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in periodicals archive ?
That is why we want the girls to play against the men," said Lung'aho.On Thursday, the national team ndash famously known as Malkia Strikers - defeated Kenya Prisons women's team 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-16) in another build up match at the Kasarani gymnasium.
For the study, Wenyuan Shi and his colleagues from the University of California, Los Angeles, first had to understand how the Streptococcus mutans interacts in biofilms, or the sticky colonies of microorganisms that build up as plaque on the teeth, Discovery News reported.
"You have the pressure of how they build up Taylor and Barneveld on the television like they are the only two in it.