built-up 1 of 2

Definition of built-upnext

built up

2 of 2

verb

past tense of build up
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2
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as in accumulated
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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of built-up
Adjective
The Caribbean-facing region of Quintana Roo has some of Mexico's busiest and most built-up beachfronts, but visitors looking for a more serene escape will love still-secret destinations like Mahahual. Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025 While the Classic looks a little more built-up, and has what may be a larger, physical rotating bezel, both watches have what’s known in some circles as a squircle design. Andrew Williams, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025 The area was densely built-up before the war and the enormous scale of damage means there are now huge mountains of rubble and debris everywhere. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 31 Jan. 2025 The home’s outer structure has a flat roof frame, composed of built-up. Bay Area Home Report, The Mercury News, 2 Aug. 2024 That group could factor into the team’s Game 2 plan, as well, following the Dodgers’ most built-up starting pitcher in breakout rookie Bobby Miller. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2023
Verb
The show’s title work, Heap of Broken Images, built up from a staggering number of polygons, is something of a bridge between the abstract and figurative collages. Benjamin Lima special Contributor, Dallas Morning News, 7 Feb. 2026 Carter is in the middle of his eighth season in the league and has built up a reputation as a tough defender around the perimeter, while still shooting accurately from distance on the other end. Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026 There are no shortcuts when your computer has built up a bit of a mess. Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 1 Feb. 2026 The researchers noted that both ⍺-synuclein and tau built up inside neurons, particularly in synapses where communication happens. New Atlas, 8 Nov. 2025 The amounts of prejudice that are built up in those Kingdom Halls, unbelievable. Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025 The tussle over rare earths precedes the current administration; China for years has built up near-total control of the minerals as part of its wider industrial policy. Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025 Still betting on this legacy, which has been built up so well in the past. John Hopewell, Variety, 20 Sep. 2025 With a small, experienced team, Times Real Estate has built up a portfolio that boasts properties sold in some of the county’s most exclusive neighborhoods. Liz Ohanesian, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for built-up
Adjective
  • The alleged success of Housing First does not come from aggregated homelessness data, but from case studies of different homelessness programs.
    Christopher Calton, Oc Register, 4 Dec. 2025
  • Haunting and wonderful images coalesce then dissipate, or recur without a sense of aggregated force.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The phrase has been tagged in more than 550,000 posts on Instagram, while on TikTok the number of videos with the #curatedvintage hashtag increased by 50% in the past year.
    Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
  • According to the complaint, the companies and their subsidiaries repeatedly increased EpiPen prices and paid pharmacy benefit managers to keep rival products off the market, which violates the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, the Indiana Antitrust Act and the Medicaid False Claims Act.
    Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The company says the attacker gained brief, unauthorized access to a small part of its network before being removed.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
  • The website gained momentum after the Serve fleet essentially doubled the number of robots in Chicago last fall, Robertson said.
    Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The trust accumulated over those projects was what gave both Netflix and Honnold the confidence to mount a spectacle as daring as a rope-less skyscraper climb captured on live TV.
    Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 9 Feb. 2026
  • When Bad Bunny began the halftime show by carrying a football around his detailed Levi’s Stadium set, jokes that the artist had accumulated more yards than the Patriots flooded social media.
    Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The enhanced subsidies, which expanded eligibility both by lowering the percentage of household income people had to pay toward their care and removing an income cap, expired at the end of last year.
    Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Russia has been seen modernizing its nuclear facilities, and in recent years, China has expanded its main test site by digging new tunnels.
    Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 11 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Trump has not ruled out granting Maxwell clemency, but Republican pushback to that notion quickly rose after Maxwell made the appeal.
    Stephen Groves, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Swirling and intricate pink rose custom Pierre Frey wallpaper and deep blue wainscoting lead to the LaVerne suite, and mint greens and pastel pinks plus detailed wallpaper of Southwestern cacti and brush mirror Hal Thompson’s likes.
    Mandy Ellis, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Soon a crowd gathered and helped carry Ghadimi into a nearby house.
    Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
  • On Wednesday, Betts was home in Southern California, and once again gathered a group to watch together on TV.
    Claire McNear, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Those investigators learned that Rich was standing in the intersection with his hands on his hips and was not armed when DeOrzio accelerated without a warning and struck him, Steele said.
    CBS News, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
  • The pandemic, of course, accelerated a troubling trend of newspaper closures over the last 20 years.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Built-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/built-up. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

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