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Synonyms

build on

Idioms  

  1. Also, build upon. Add as an extension; use as a basis or foundation. For example, They decided to build on an addition, or She was building all her hopes on passing the exam. John Locke had this idiom in his treatise on government (1689): “Sovereignty built on ‘property’ . . . comes to nothing.” [Late 1600s]

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.

He said teaming up with Amazon also will allow the airline to build on its use of Amazon Web Services.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We need to build on this year of momentum, and philanthropy is a critical component of our strategy to bring San Francisco and our economy back.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Scotland legend James McFadden also felt there were elements to build on, while admitting the national team were below their best.

From BBC

Museum director-general Bart Ouvry said a new effort to digitize its archives commenced at the start of February, building on past work to create a homogenized data set.

From The Wall Street Journal

They added the area was still best avoided, with four appliances working from behind the building on Belle Vue Road.

From BBC

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.