building up

verb

present participle of build up
1
as in increasing
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number static electricity built up on the cat's fur

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in growing (in)
to gradually increase in the roller coaster built up momentum

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in accumulating
to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass evidence that the toxic chemical builds up in the bloodstream to unhealthy levels

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in expanding
to make greater in size, amount, or number he patiently built up his coin collection over several decades the young stockbroker worked hard to build up a clientele

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 building up Coleman Borthwick is among the 2026 draftees building up at the Peoria Sports Complex. — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026 Government reshuffle Ahead of the next winter period, Ukraine is strengthening the defense of its energy infrastructure and building up reserves to ensure sufficient supplies of heat and electricity. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026 The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies start right after birth with three to five minutes at a time, building up to more than an hour a day. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026 And because some of these inflation drivers affect multiple sectors, costs are building up throughout the supply chain. — Elizabeth Canales, The Conversation, 16 July 2026 The former second-round pick is suddenly one of the Lakers’ primary summer league players and hopes to use the experience as an important stepping stone, building up his game while also establishing a leadership voice. — Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026 The strength of the onscreen bond between Ryan and Naim is in part due to their actors building up a real friendship before production began. — Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 June 2026 Trash Cans Emptying the trash isn't enough to prevent funky odors from building up in your home. — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 7 June 2026 While the petition is just the latest in an ongoing crusade to tame the streets, tension in the neighborhood is building up, and for good reason. — Anne Kadet, Curbed, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for building up
  1. increasing
  2. gaining
  3. accumulating
  4. expanding
  5. rising
  6. gathering
  7. accelerating
  8. swelling
Verb
  • But the drought is still hitting home with record-low water levels on the Danube River disrupting grain transport, causing chronically congested terminals and an increasing pileup of crops with nowhere to go.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Our city is not alone in the trend of increasing e-scooter injuries.
    — Narmeen Khan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of increasing
Verb
  • Elisabeth Wright Burak, a policy researcher at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, said Trump’s tax-and-spending law is stifling the momentum states had been gaining with maternal care since 2022.
    — Andrew Jones, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Large-city districts as a group did better, gaining 11 to 12 points.
    — Michael Casserly, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of gaining
Verb
  • But foodborne illnesses from other outbreaks are accumulating quickly, too.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The sales mark a sharp shift for a company whose strategy has long centered on accumulating—not selling—Bitcoin.
    — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of accumulating
Verb
  • Summary Hugging Face's latest report highlights a rapidly expanding community distribution layer for open models, converting raw weights into runnable formats like GGUF.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Arkansas Baptist College, a private, historically Black college located several blocks east of Little Rock's Central High School, is expanding its student housing with the acquisition of a La Quinta Inn in downtown Little Rock.
    — Dale Ellis, Arkansas Online, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of expanding
Verb
  • During totality, the temperature could briefly fall by 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) before rising rapidly again once the sun reappears.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Images shared by Russian media outlets from the town of Podolsk showed columns of black smoke rising from the site.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of rising
Verb
  • The coalition has been canvassing the state, visiting churches, grocery stores and neighborhoods to talk to residents about the issue and gathering 3,500 signatures to present to lawmakers in hopes of inspiring legislative change.
    — Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Officers are gathering information at the scene, according to a Fort Worth Police Department spokesperson.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of gathering
Verb
  • About one minute after takeoff, the Learjet 55 turned to the left and started a violent dive, descending at nearly 10,000 feet per minute while accelerating to more than 275 MPH, according to information collected by investigators.
    — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Adoption is accelerating as the proverbial wheels are falling off the bus.
    — Jason Sabin, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of accelerating
Verb
  • In nearby Anderson in Madison County, Indiana, the mayor declared a local disaster emergency and issued evacuation orders Thursday along the swelling White River and other waterways.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Additionally, more than 100 reports of serious adverse events, mostly cases of patients being hospitalized for swelling, respiratory, and heart complications, have been reported to the FDA.
    — Adam Feuerstein, STAT, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of swelling

Browse Nearby Words

buildings
building up
builds
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Cite this Entry

“Building up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/building%20up. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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