built-up
Americanadjective
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built by the fastening together of several parts or enlarged by the addition of layers.
This shoe has a built-up heel.
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(of an area) filled in with houses, as an urban region.
adjective
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having many buildings (esp in the phrase built-up area )
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denoting a beam, girder, or stanchion constructed of sections welded, riveted, or bolted together, etc
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increased by the addition of parts
built-up heels
Etymology
Origin of built-up
First recorded in 1820–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Longtime mascots, on the other hand, appear to retain their built-up value even after a lull.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
My odyssey began in Navy Yard, a recently built-up D.C. neighborhood where the Transportation Department is headquartered.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
If you have a highly concentrated stock allocation with large built-up gains, you can gradually whittle down your position and use the $6,000 deduction to minimize or cancel the tax hit, Adams says.
From Barron's ● Apr. 25, 2026
I had so much built-up anxiety about facing my own numbers, but seeing my boyfriend lay his cards on the table gave me the courage to finally log in and look at mine.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026
The built-up steam sprayed bits of rotten shark, seaweed, and Nim-didn’t-know-what in a rushing geyser far into the air.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
