English

Verb

ramp up ‎(third-person singular simple present ramps up, present participle ramping up, simple past and past participle ramped up)

1. (intransitive) To increase rapidly to a new value.

   Headcount ramped up over three months.

2. (transitive) To increase (something) rapidly to a new value; to cause (something) to ramp up.

   The manager ramped up headcount.

   • 2012 November 20, Nina Bernstein, “Storm Bared a Lack of Options for the Homeless in New York”, in New York Times:

     Overnight, as the storm bore down on urban flood zones, city officials ramped up emergency spaces to shelter thousands more people, mostly in public schools and colleges.

3. (intransitive) To start up; to be in an initial phase of rapid increase.

   The 5G development project will ramp up in the first quarter.

   • 2004, Jana Murphy, The Secret Lives of Toddlers, Perigee, ISBN 978-0-399-53023-4, page 118:

     It's only fair to note that during the toddler years, the nightmare phase is just ramping up for many children.

   • 2007, John A. Cogliandro, Intelligent Innovation: Four Steps to Achieving a Competitive Edge, J. Ross Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-932159-61-5, page 71:

     For projects that are just ramping up, a reasonable estimate should be made for the foreseeable future.

4. (transitive, management) To start (something) up; to cause (something) to ramp up.

   He wants to be first to ramp up his project.

Related terms

• ramp-up

See also

• step up