- present participle of build.
building
Americannoun
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buildings
plural
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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.
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anything built or constructed.
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the act, business, or practice of constructing houses, office buildings, etc.
noun
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something built with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory
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the act, business, occupation, or art of building houses, boats, etc
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of building
First recorded in 1250–1300, building is from the Middle English word byldinge. See build, -ing 1
Explanation
Building is the process of making something. Building Lego cities and towns is the favorite activity of many kids. When a construction company is building a structure like a grocery store or a school, you can say it's building a building. Anything from a small house to a skyscraper can be called a building, and both meanings of the word come from the verb build, with its Old English root byldan, "build or construct a house."
Vocabulary lists containing building
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:
Shares, though, were trading about 7% lower in Thursday’s extended session, with declines building throughout the earnings call.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Taiwanese military planners took inspiration from Ukraine’s success in building asymmetric warfare capabilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at age 80, made a career out of building illusions she delighted in dismantling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
"I'm mortified with the performance. I know you can lose games of football but we should have enough in the building to take care of that tonight."
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
I crossed the street and went into the building.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
However, the stakes of buying into a condo, co-op or HOA are rising as buildings age and insurance costs increase.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The paper shows photos from security video that captured people running for their lives as raging waters engulfed buildings.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Companies boosted spending on new equipment, buildings, software and the like by a strong 8.5% in the second quarter.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
The Times spoke with renters at six apartment buildings in L.A. whose landlords use a formula to split up shared utilities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
All around are stores selling gold filigree jewelry and embroidered cloths in buildings where Jewish artisans must have labored centuries ago.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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.
