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Build up meaning

Build up means to slowly become bigger, stronger or more in amount. It can also mean to slowly create or develop something, like a business or skill.

Check yourself: 3 questions

build up

build up · built · building

B2No object+2 more meanings

Dust builds up fast behind the fridge.

Build up meanings and examples

3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.

  1. 1slowly become bigger, stronger or more in amount
  2. 2slowly create or develop something, like a business or skill
  3. 3praise someone or something a lot, so people expect too much
  1. 1

    Slowly become bigger, stronger or more in amount

    build up

    B2No object

    • Dust builds up fast behind the fridge.
    • Traffic always builds up near the stadium on match days.
    • If you don’t talk about stress, it just builds up.
  2. 2

    Slowly create or develop something, like a business or skill

    build somebody or something up

    B2Separable

    • She built up her bakery from one small stall.
    • It takes years to build up trust with clients.
    • Swim twice a week to build your strength up.
  3. 3

    Praise someone or something a lot, so people expect too much

    build somebody or something up

    C1Separable

    • Everyone built up the film, but I found it boring.
    • Don’t build me up too much. I’m not that good.
    • The new restaurant was built up as the best in town.
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Is build up separable?

When something grows by itself, build up has no object: Snow built up overnight. When you make something grow, it is separable: build up a business, build it up.

The noun is build-up: a build-up of traffic. The build-up to an event is the time of excitement before it: the build-up to the final.

Verb tenses for build up

PresentI build up · she builds up
Pastbuilt up
Present perfecthave built up
-ing formbuilding up

Common mistakes with build up

What learners often say, and what to say instead.

  • Wrong: I built up it over ten years.

    Right: I built it up over ten years.

    A pronoun goes between build and up.

  • Wrong: The water was building up from the drain.

    Right: The water was building up in the drain.

    Use in for the place where something collects.

  • Wrong: There was a big built-up of cars on the bridge.

    Right: There was a big build-up of cars on the bridge.

    The noun is build-up; built-up is an adjective for an area with many buildings.

Synonyms and opposites of build up

Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.

Similar

Opposite

Build up quiz

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.

  1. 1Clean the filter often, or dirt will ___.

  2. 2Choose the right sentence.

  3. 3“The film was so built up, I was disappointed.” Why?

Find your level

The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.

Test yourself on build upTake the full test

Build up FAQ

Questions people ask about build up.

What does build-up mean?

A build-up is a slow increase: a build-up of ice. It also means the time just before a big event: the build-up to the elections.

What is a built-up area?

It is a place with many buildings, like a town. The speed limit is lower in built-up areas.

What is the difference between build up and build on?

Build up means make something grow from the start. Build on means use something that already exists as a base: Let’s build on last year’s success.

Use build up in real conversations

In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.

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