build
Americanverb (used with object)
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builds,
present (3rd person singular)
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built,
past participle, past
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builded,
past participle, past (Archaic)
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building
present participle
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to construct (especially something complex) by assembling and joining parts or materials.
to build a house.
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to establish, increase, or strengthen (often followed byup ).
to build a business;
to build up one's hopes.
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to mold, form, or create.
to build students into skilled professionals.
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a relationship built on trust.
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Games.
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to make (words) from letters.
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to assemble (cards) according to number, suit, etc., as in melding.
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to create (a character in a role-playing game) by choosing a job class and/or a set of attributes, skills, weapons, armor, etc.; spec.
If you want to build a Warlock, choosing Half-Elf for your race will give you more spells and magic resistance.
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verb (used without object)
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builds,
present (3rd person singular)
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built,
past participle, past
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builded,
past participle, past (Archaic)
-
building
present participle
-
to engage in the art, practice, or business of building.
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to form or construct a plan, system of thought, etc. (usually followed by on orupon ).
He built on the philosophies of the past.
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to increase or develop toward a maximum, as of intensity, tempo, or magnitude (often followed byup ).
The drama builds steadily toward a climax.
noun
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builds
plural
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the physical structure, especially of a person; physique; figure.
He had a strong build.
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the manner or form of construction.
The house was of modern build.
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Computers.
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a version of a program after compilation, typically an update to an existing version made before the program is released.
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the process of producing a software build.
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a new version or update of data in a database or on a website.
frequent, incremental builds of data.
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(in a video game or tabletop role-playing game) a set of attributes, skills, weapons, armor, and other items chosen by the player that affect the character’s speed, strength, intelligence, etc., which may make the character more effective in some roles and less effective in others.
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Masonry.
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a vertical joint.
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the vertical dimension of a stone laid on its bed.
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verb phrase
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build in / into to build or incorporate as part of something else: an allowance for travel expenses built into the budget.
to build in bookcases between the windows;
an allowance for travel expenses built into the budget.
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build out to expand, construct, or develop: The team used to manually build out its marketing email list, but now it's automatic.
They decided to build out the road network to connect the two towns.
The team used to manually build out its marketing email list, but now it's automatic.
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build up
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to develop or increase.
to build up a bank account.
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to strengthen.
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to prepare in stages.
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to fill in with houses; develop into an urban area.
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to praise or flatter.
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verb
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to make, construct, or form by joining parts or materials
to build a house
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(intr) to be a builder by profession
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(tr) to order the building of
the government builds most of our hospitals
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to base; found
his theory was not built on facts
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(tr) to establish and develop
it took ten years to build a business
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(tr) to make in a particular way or for a particular purpose
the car was not built for speed
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to increase in intensity
the wind was building
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cards
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to add cards to each other to form (a sequence or set)
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(intr) to add to the layout of cards on the table from one's hand
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noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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misbuildverb
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superbuildverb
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underbuildverb
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outbuildverb (used with object)
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prebuildverb (used with object)
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buildableadjective
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unbuildableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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buildsimple
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buildssimple
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have buildedperfect
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have builtperfect
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has buildedperfect
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has builtperfect
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am buildingprogressive
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are buildingprogressive
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is buildingprogressive
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have been buildingperfect progressive
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has been buildingperfect progressive
Past
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buildedsimple
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builtsimple
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had buildedperfect
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had builtperfect
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was buildingprogressive
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were buildingprogressive
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had been buildingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of build
First recorded before 1150; from Middle English bilden, Old English byldan, derivative of bold, variant of botl “dwelling, house”
Explanation
To build is to construct or make something. When you build a house, you start at the very bottom, with the foundation, and work your way up. You build a birdhouse using scraps of wood, a hammer, and nails, or you can build a career as a poet by writing daily and submitting poems to literary magazines. In both examples, you're constructing something yourself using materials and hard work. Another meaning is to make stronger: "I have to build my endurance if I'm going to finish that marathon." The Old English root of build, byldan, specifically means "build a house," from bold, "house."
Vocabulary lists containing build
"The Giving Tree"
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Make
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At the Houston plant, Foxconn is primarily making the capital investments to build the assembly lines while Apple is committing to buy the products that are produced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The process could be open, transparent and designed to build trust.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
"The era of evacuation is over -- from here, we only build," Dagan said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Fermi wouldn’t be required to commit money or issue debt to build the plant but would have the option to buy it in a decade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
They were both short and thickset, a completely different build from us.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
The July record builds on an already extremely warm summer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
"This stuff builds up in the environment, builds up in animals and fish, and it builds up in us," Gowan said.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Rocket Lab said in conjunction with its second-quarter earnings report on Monday that the subsidiary builds on its recent acquisition of laser optical-communications provider Mynaric, which is based in Munich.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
The work builds on previous geological research in the region, but the scale and diversity of the discovery mark a major advance.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Both carried slight builds, with heads shaped more like ovals than circles.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
“Here where Nature has builded her finest playground, man has added the material things which provide the comforts that make life worth while,” proclaimed a 1921 advertisement in The Times titled “The Great Southwest.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2022
Percy Haughton's widow watched the Columbia team that he had builded sink to defeat before Cornell at Ithaca.
From Time Magazine Archive
Born luckily to place and power, Premier Jon Bratiano has held and builded upon both.
From Time Magazine Archive
And was Jerusalem builded here Among these dark Satanic mills?
From Time Magazine Archive
We have builded our Camp anew, & as it saith in Genesis, “/ dwell in the Tents of Shem.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Educational choice matters because one child may thrive in a highly structured classroom, while another flourishes in a school built around the arts, project-based learning or career and technical education.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Michael Pace, who founded the centre along with his brother Tony, built the centre as he wanted to share his passion for astronomy with the local community.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
They embraced the original features, built on what the previous owner had already done, and power-thrifted some extraordinary pieces.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Two versions of the Ridge Route over the Tejon Pass were built before the Interstate 5 was completed in 1970, connecting L.A. to Central California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
“They have built a shed. Improved the property. I have been there to raise their rent.”
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees on Thursday voted to move forward with President Trump’s plan to close the building for renovations for two years, according to the Associated Press.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Indeed, low readings on popular volatility gauges could suggest that risk is building up under the surface.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Apple’s own capital budget is relatively small compared with those of rival tech giants plowing money into AI and chip makers building new plants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Shelter said it wanted him to use October's Budget to "kickstart the council house revolution he promised" by removing financial barriers that prevent councils from building more social rent homes.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
She walks toward the front of the building, where coordinating green picnic tables sit beneath a canopy, with vehicles parked on either side.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
