build-down
[ bild-doun ]
/ ˈbɪldˌdaʊn /
noun
a process for reducing armaments, especially the number of nuclear weapons held by the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., by eliminating several older weapons for each new one that is deployed.
Origin of build-down
First recorded in 1980–85; by analogy with
buildup
Words nearby build-down
build in,
build into,
build on,
build on sand,
build up,
build-down,
buildable,
builder,
builder's knot,
buildering,
building
Idioms and Phrases with build down
build down
Reduce, diminish, as in Owing to increased vigilance, traffic in narcotics is finally building down. This term, the antonym of build up, came into use about 1980 with regard to reducing the stockpile of nuclear weapons and soon was applied more widely.