Lexic.us

Definition of Build up

1. Verb. Enlarge, develop, or increase by degrees or in stages. "Build up your savings"

2. Verb. Form or accumulate steadily. "Pressure is building up at the Indian-Pakistani border"

3. Verb. Prepare oneself for a military confrontation. "Troops are building up on the Iraqi border"

4. Verb. Bolster or strengthen. "Ramp up security in the airports"

5. Verb. Change the use of and make available or usable. "The remote areas of the country were gradually built up"

Definition of Build up

1. Verb. (intransitive transitive idiomatic) To accumulate, to pile up, to increase in stages ¹

2. Verb. (transitive idiomatic) To strengthen ¹

3. Noun. (alternative form of buildup) ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Build Up

buhrstone buhrstones buik buiks build build-to build-up build-ups build a better mousetrap build a fire under

build castles in the air build in build into build on build on sand build up build upon buildability buildable builddown

builddowns builded builder builder's bum builder's cleavage builder's tea buildering builders builders' tea buildest

Literary usage of Build up

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. A Course in Electrical Engineering by Chester Laurens Dawes (1920)
"Generator Fails to build up.—There are three common reasons for a generator failing to ... Under these conditions, the generator cannot of course build up. ..."

2. A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847 by Thomas Ford, James Shields (1854)
"... Stock—Stock readily taken—Intrigues of the subscribers—State Bank goes into the hands of Thomas Mather and his friends—Effort to build up Alton—The Lead ..."

3. The Life of Thomas Jefferson by Henry Stephens Randall (1858)
"... proposed—Congressional Proceedings—Gun-boats—Classes interested in opposing them—President's Policy in not seeking to build up a great Navy—Disasters of ..."

4. Bulletin by University of the State of New York (1902)
"To build up the public sentiment on which the reform of the future must depend, we wish our children to understand about alcohol and its terrible effects; ..."

5. Studies of a Biographer by Sir Leslie Stephen (1902)
"We build up elaborate screens of words and formulae which effectually hide the facts, and make us content with sham explanations. ' The reason,' he says, ..."

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