BUILDS (UP) Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

builds up

verb

present tense third-person singular of build up

as in increases

to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number static electricity built up on the cat's fur

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Relevance

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as in gains

to gradually increase in the roller coaster built up momentum

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as in accumulates

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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as in expands

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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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 builds up Long exposes how secrecy builds up when even doctors don’t have the language to identify one’s pain. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 Eventually that carbon will begin to fuse into neon, then the neon will fuse into magnesium, and so on up the periodic table until iron builds up in the core. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026 This happens when water in front of the tire builds up faster than the vehicle's weight can push water out of the way. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026 Spring cleaning is the perfect time to tackle the bathroom — that one room where clutter builds up fast and organization falls apart even faster. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026 Over time, the negative marks from debt relief will carry less weight as your positive history builds up. — Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026 When ice builds up, the birds can no longer maintain flight and are forced to land. — Nick Lunemann, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026 By overlooking particle motion, these models may underestimate how quickly damage builds up inside real-world batteries. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026 Vastnaut One includes motors positioned at the knees that help absorb impact as the foot lands, reducing the stress that typically builds up over long descents. — New Atlas, 30 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for builds up

Verb

That’s harder to find in fashion these days, as the comparable speed of digital culture increases trend turnover and even algorithmic advertising struggles to keep up with what looking empirically cool means.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
While productivity increases dramatically, consumption often grows even faster.

— Sudipto Dasgupta, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of increases

Verb

In wave election years, as this year is expected to be, the party that gains seats in Congress often had more competitive primaries, a consequence of the increase in candidates seeking nomination and the enthusiasm of voters.

— Robert Boatright, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
That equipment must also keep pace as the aircraft gains new capabilities.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of gains

Verb

Because microorganisms in water turn regular mercury into methylmercury, a toxic chemical form that binds tightly to fish tissue, the heavy metal accumulates to higher levels in aquatic animals.

— Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
His focus now is on handling the load, improving his mobility and learning how his body recovers as the work accumulates.

— C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of accumulates

Verb

In April 2026, the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee found that advanced AI had not yet been adopted in a way that presented systemic risk but warned that risks could increase rapidly as deployment expands.

— Swati Deepak Kumar, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
The new law expands California’s definition of who is a resident under state sales tax law in an effort to weed out phony shell companies, making a company liable for state taxes when at least one member of the business is a California resident.

— Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of expands

Verb

As the cost of petrochemical feedstocks for virgin synthetics rises by as much as 60 percent or more, the price difference between virgin and bio-based options is getting smaller.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
As atmospheric carbon rises to levels beyond precedent in human history and consequently raises the global temperature to levels unprecedented on the human scale, the importance of places where carbon is sequestered becomes ever greater.

— Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of rises

Verb

When a storm, usually fed by unusually warm water, suddenly gathers a lot of strength, sustaining winds that increase in speed by at least 35 mph (56 kph) in 24 hours, it is called rapid intensification.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
As the cystic fibrosis community gathers this week in Atlanta for its largest annual gathering, Kramer-Golinkoff is hoping those patients will be a big part of the conversation, particularly after recent scientific setbacks.

— Gerry Smith, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of gathers

Verb

Communities are being asked to do more with less as climate change accelerates, and the skills needed to care for these places are being lost.

— Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
This swelling warps the battery’s internal structure and accelerates degradation, making large-format cells unsafe and short-lived.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of accelerates

Verb

Friday, the high tide in San Diego and La Jolla was coming in 17 inches higher than the official prediction, which doesn’t account for hotter-than-normal ocean waters or swells from tropical storms, according to NOAA’s tide forecasts.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Music, which has been the constant all-consuming river of his life, swells him into an adventure that will change him forever.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026