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.
Applications could range from deliveries in built-up areas to transporting people through the air, she said -- as well as military uses.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 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
Those uncovered in urban centres - usually when digging foundations for new buildings - can pose a greater risk due to a built-up nearby population.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 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
Now, I figured that the built-up gas in most boys’ locker rooms was enough to cause an explosion, so I wasn’t surprised when the flaming dodgeball ignited a huge WHOOOOOOOM!
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
