buildup

What it means

1. countableuncountableAn accumulation; an increase; a gradual development.

   There was a buildup of pressure in the boiler.

   2 more examples

   Snow buildup on roads makes for hazardous driving.

   One of the pricetags of the U.S. military buildup is a lack of health care in poorer communities.

   1988 December 11, Wickie Stamps, “Cambridge Conference Chronicles Anticommunism”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 22, page 3

2. countableuncountabledentistryThe construction of a composite core to repair a damaged tooth.

   Blocking undercuts out with bonded flowable composite is an option, but the time involved doing a buildup, plus the additional complication to provisionalize, make this option less desirable (Figure 6.19e).

   2017, Jose-Luis Ruiz, Supra-Gingival Minimally Invasive Dentistry, page 103

In a sentence

Snow buildup on roads makes for hazardous driving.

Where it comes from

Deverbal from build up.