build on

Idioms and Phrases

Also, build upon . Add as an extension; use as a basis or foundation. For example, They decided to build on an addition , or She was building all her hopes on passing the exam . John Locke had this idiom in his treatise on government (1689): “Sovereignty built on ‘property’ . . . comes to nothing.” [Late 1600s]

Related Words

• believe in
• bet on
• count on
• lean on
• look to
• rely on