building

[bil-ding]

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 built or constructed.

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

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

Other Word Forms

• buildingless adjective
• underbuilding noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of building¹

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

It plans to devote a majority of its capital to projects that involve building from scratch on undeveloped land.

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In October, Myanmar's junta announced raids on nearby scam centre KK Park, where it says it is currently demolishing more than 600 buildings.

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Other cadavers have been discovered by chance, as Syrians sift through the rubble of bombed buildings and reclaim farmland disused during the war.

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Our architecture students employ AI as a force multiplier, using it to understand how buildings are designed and respond to environmental pressure over time.

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Nvidia's GPUs, originally designed for gaming systems, have become the essential building blocks of artificial intelligence applications, with tech giants scrambling to secure them for their data centers and AI projects.

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Related Words

• architecture 
• construction 
• home 
• house 
• hut