construct
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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something constructed.
Each musical note sign is a construct of three distinct parts: the head, the stem, and the hook.
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a mental image, idea, or theory, especially a complex one formed from a number of simpler elements.
Character is a construct of personal values, personal rules and morals, and a number of other facets, including self-control and willpower.
verb
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to put together substances or parts, esp systematically, in order to make or build (a building, bridge, etc); assemble
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to compose or frame mentally (an argument, sentence, etc)
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geometry to draw (a line, angle, or figure) so that certain requirements are satisfied
noun
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something formulated or built systematically
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a complex idea resulting from a synthesis of simpler ideas
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psychol a model devised on the basis of observation, designed to relate what is observed to some theoretical framework
Usage
What does construct mean? To construct means to build or create by putting parts together, as in Val constructed a whole town out of toy building blocks. A construct is something that is created, often with a complex form. The verb form of construct, pronounced kuhn-struhkt, is most often used to refer to buildings and monuments being built, but it can be used in any situation where something is built or parts are combined. You can construct a meal, for example, out of ingredients in your refrigerator or construct an outfit out of articles of clothing in your closet. The noun form of construct, pronounced kon-struhkt, is anything that is built, either literally or figuratively. It is most often used figuratively to describe something that is made up of practices or ideas from a specific philosophy or school of thought. Constructs are often complex theories that are informed by many smaller ideas of the way things work. Example: The gas company tried to construct a new pipeline, but the pipes kept leaking.
Synonym Usage
See make 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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constructornoun
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overconstructverb (used with object)
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preconstructverb (used with object)
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constructibleadjective
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quasi-constructedadjective
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well-constructedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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constructsimple
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constructssimple
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have constructedperfect
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has constructedperfect
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am constructingprogressive
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are constructingprogressive
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is constructingprogressive
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have been constructingperfect progressive
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has been constructingperfect progressive
Past
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constructedsimple
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had constructedperfect
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was constructingprogressive
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were constructingprogressive
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had been constructingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of construct
First recorded in 1400–50 for earlier past participle sense; 1655–65 for current senses; late Middle English, from Latin constrūctus (past participle of construere “to construe ”), equivalent to con- con- + strūc- (variant stem of struere “to build”) + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
To construct things is to build them. You might construct a sand castle the next time you're at the beach, or you might construct a theory about why your brother always manages to get away with breaking the rules. The verb construct comes from the Latin word constructus, meaning “to heap up.” If you work in construction you're in the business of building things, and you probably construct buildings, roads, municipal parks, and other large permanent structures. Students of psychology are familiar with the noun form of construct, which refers to an abstract concept. Much of psychological theory is founded on constructs — like gender, morality, and intelligence.
Vocabulary lists containing construct
Latin Love, Vol I: struere
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Ancient Egypt and Kush, Lessons 1–3
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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:
The Daily Telegraph said it had obtained unredacted plans that showed Beijing planned to construct a "concealed chamber" among 208 "secret rooms" underneath the embassy, which would be close to sensitive underground communications cables.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Participating companies can construct reactors outside a traditional national laboratory setting and use expedited procedures for environmental reviews.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
You have to look beyond the interior of a courtroom to see the people on the ground fighting to construct constitutional meaning.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Interest in the Backrooms persists precisely because they lack a fixed mythology, geographical reality, or narrative history, allowing users to construct meaning around places that, nonetheless, feel uncannily familiar.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
I helped him construct a sturdy stick barricade around the periphery so the jungle animals and village goats would not come in and wreck our tender vegetables when they came.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
"What you see them do is navigate a world with the constructs of capitalism," he says.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
"What we conclude is that these color qualities don't emerge from additional external constructs such as cultural or learned experiences but reflect the intrinsic properties of the color metric itself," Bujack said.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 23, 2026
Roan’s lipstick gone “awry” on her teeth brings a camp sensibility to both mock and celebrate feminine performance that resists traditional heteronormative constructs.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026
“Honestly, I think that we have an organization that, whatever rules or regulations or constructs are put in front of us,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Monday, “we’re going to dominate.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025
If astrophysics developed, the existence of stars could eventually be deduced from the principles of physics, but they would be theoretical constructs only.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
That pool’s 10-meter platform, originally constructed with a donation from the late televangelist Gene Scott, will be torn down and replaced.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
This unusual process may explain why vertebrate eyes are constructed so differently from the eyes of many other animals.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
EU trade spokesman Olof Gill said: "It is our clear understanding and expectation that the US will honor the commitments that are spelled out under the EU-US Joint Statement, whatever tariff regime is constructed."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
China has constructed some large-scale batteries, and a trial has also taken place in Scotland.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
He didn’t want to hang a man simply because he had constructed a seductive tale.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
But modern front offices, armed with mountains of data, are increasingly comfortable constructing a roster without an established closer, instead relying on matchups to determine pitching assignments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
In the audio clip from the performance, we hear Deputy Chief Investigator John Goldman explaining to Weist that he is essentially constructing a résumé from her answers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
By constructing the molecules from scratch in the laboratory, they confirmed the precise structures of secalosides A and B for the first time.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
Avant Homes is currently constructing 109 homes as part of a development called Darroch Fields.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
I am writing to you today from the steps of the Capitol building they are constructing here in Washington.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
