built up

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.

"Shift by shift, night by night, I slowly built up my confidence working in the bar," he told Die Zeit.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

North Korea, believing that Chinese-style economic reforms would endanger the absolute control of the Kim dynasty, built up a nuclear arsenal to shore up the regime’s power indefinitely.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

The ancient and endangered Akhal-Teke is the subject of a fervent state cult in the desert nation, built up by horse-loving Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, ex-president and official father of the nation.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Homeowners stay put, enjoying ever-rising property values, while renters are forced to leave the city and start over elsewhere with no equity built up.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

Since there had never been a republican chief executive, there was no readily available vocabulary to characterize such a creature, except the verbal traditions that had built up around European courts and kings.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis