ramp-up

American  

[ramp-uhp] / ˈræmpˌʌp /

Or ramp up

noun

1. an increase in amount, intensity, extent, etc., especially a steady increase; growth or buildup (often used attributively).

   Feeding the world by 2050 will necessitate a massive global ramp-up of industrial-scale agriculture.

   An oil field’s life cycle consists of a ramp-up period, a production plateau, and a period of decline.

2. the gradual process of learning or mastering something; learning curve (often used attributively).

   Training for new hires should focus on shortening the ramp-up to proficiency.

   Even if customers switch platforms, they should still be able to use the application with little or no ramp-up time.

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verb phrase

1. to increase in amount, intensity, extent, etc., especially steadily; build.

   You can ramp up your studying in the weeks before taking the SAT.

   Immunity takes time to ramp up if the body has never seen the pathogen before.

2. to progressively learn or become familiar with something.

   The two-year program allows for time to ramp up, develop skills, and apply them in real-world scenarios.

ramp up British  

verb

1. to increase or cause to increase

2. (intr) to increase the effort involved in a process

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Usage

What does ramp up mean? To ramp up is to increase or to cause to increase, either in speed, effort, or a similar attribute, as in You’d better ramp up your studying if you want to pass the final exam. When you say something is ramping up, you’re implying that it is just getting started or that there is much more of it left. It often describes level, amount, or frequency, especially an increase that is large or dramatic. Example: Production of the new console is just ramping up this month.

Etymology

Origin of ramp-up

First recorded in 1980–85; noun use of verb phrase ramp up

Example Sentences

Morgan Stanley also expects Seagate’s gross margins to expand faster than Western Digital’s margins by about 50 basis points over the next year given its ramp-up of higher-capacity shipments.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

We’ll be interested to see how these investments do, but for our purposes here, it’s simply the scale and speed of the ramp-up that matters.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The facility had just reached mechanical completion under a $7 billion modernization program in December, and contractors were still onsite finalizing ramp-up obligations when the attacks occurred.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

Key risks include FX volatility, facility ramp-up execution, labor constraints and the timing of a global semiconductor capital expenditure recovery, with a stronger ringgit remaining a key margin headwind for export-oriented tech companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

With most new models positioned around and above the 150,000 yuan price point, the ramp-up of these coming launches should further improve the overall portfolio mix, they add.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026