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buildup

noun

Simple meaning

The result of accumulation.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

bilduhp

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbɪldəp

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. The act of building up an accumulation

    “I envied his rapid buildup of assets.”

  2. The result of the process of accumulation

    “The buildup of leaves blocked the drain pipes.”

  3. An accumulation; an increase; a gradual development.

  4. dentistry

    The construction of a composite core to repair a damaged tooth.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The act of building up an accumulation

Used this way, buildup is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Heard in a sentence
“I envied his rapid buildup of assets.”
Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Usage note

It most often appears in the pattern “buildup of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.

Natural pattern: buildup of …

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use buildup

  • “I envied his rapid buildup of assets.”noun
  • “The buildup of leaves blocked the drain pipes.”noun
  • “His letter of recommendation gave her a terrific buildup.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

military builduparms builduppressure buildupdefense buildupheat builduprapid buildupsoviet buildupgradual buildup

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.