build-out

noun

ˈbild-ˌau̇t 

variants or less commonly buildout

plural build-outs also buildouts

1

a

: work done to make a structure or system ready for use or to bring a construction or development project to a completed state

When the build-out of the campus is complete, as many as 7,500 students will attend class there.

—Janis L. Magin

b

: work done to expand a system (such as a telecommunications system)

The buildout of new infrastructure for digital cellular telephony is at such an early stage that it's impossible to predict what the performance of some of the systems will be.

—Brian C. Fenton

c

: a project or process involving such work

Of course, the Chinese are traveling and spending more in their own country too, in part because of a gigantic infrastructure build-out; China will have constructed more high-speed-rail capacity by the end of the decade than is currently operating in the rest of the world, some 10,000 miles' (16,000 km) worth.

—Bill Saporito

2

: a state in which an area has been fully developed

At build-out, the community is planned to include retail, restaurant and office space, a hotel, urban-style and loft apartments, townhomes, and condominiums.

—The Flower Mound (Texas) Leader

Examples of build-out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Those states span the political gamut: Texas, Utah, Kentucky, and Ohio all voted for Republicans this October, and are ahead in charger build-outs. —Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 23 Dec. 2024

By 2039 The rest of the plan should be completed by 2039, since the plan's build-out is 15 years, according to the city. —Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 22 Dec. 2024

Big Tech is spending at a rate that's never been seen, sparking boom times for companies scrambling to facilitate the AI build-out. —Michael Flaherty, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024

Costs such as franchise fees, royalty payments and space build-outs can vary widely depending on location, size and design. —Jason Anderson, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined at sense 1a