building

[ bil-ding ]
See synonyms for building on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a relatively permanent enclosed construction over a plot of land, having a roof and usually windows and often more than one level, used for any of a wide variety of activities, as living, entertaining, or manufacturing.

  2. anything built or constructed.

  1. the act, business, or practice of constructing houses, office buildings, etc.

Origin of building

1
First recorded in 1250–1300, building is from the Middle English word byldinge.See build, -ing1

synonym study For building

1. Building, edifice, structure refer to something built. Building and structure may apply to either a finished or an unfinished product of construction, and carry no implications as to size or condition. Edifice is a more formal word and narrower in application, referring to a completed structure, and usually a large and imposing one. Building generally connotes a useful purpose (houses, schools, business offices, etc.); structure suggests the planning and constructive process.

Other words from building

  • build·ing·less, adjective
  • un·der·build·ing, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use building in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for building

building

/ (ˈbɪldɪŋ) /


noun
  1. something built with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory

  2. the act, business, occupation, or art of building houses, boats, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012