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
Trees play a key role in tackling climate change by "absorbing carbon, cutting pollution, reducing flood risk and cooling built-up areas during hot weather", a spokesperson added.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 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
“The Ghost Trail has that familiar ride and feel, with built-up traction, durability and ‘just-enough’ protection,” says Nick Clinton, footwear product line manager at Brooks Running.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 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
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.
