construction

American  

[kuhn-struhk-shuhn] / kənˈstrʌk ʃən /

noun

• constructions
  plural

1. the act or art of constructing.

2. the way in which a thing is constructed.

   a building of solid construction.

3. something that is constructed; a structure.

4. the occupation or industry of building.

   He works in construction.

5. Grammar.

   1. the arrangement of two or more forms in a grammatical unit. Constructions involving bound forms are often called morphological, as the bound forms fif- and -teen. Those involving only free forms are often called syntactic, as the good man, in the house.

   2. a word or phrase consisting of two or more forms arranged in a particular way.

   3. a group of words or morphemes for which there is a rule in some part of the grammar.

6. explanation or interpretation, as of a law, a text, or an action.

   Synonyms:

   story, rendition, version

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construction British  

/ kənˈstrʌkʃən /

noun

1. the process or act of constructing or manner in which a thing is constructed

2. the thing constructed; a structure

3. 1. the business or work of building dwellings, offices, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a construction site

4. an interpretation or explanation of a law, text, action, etc

   they put a sympathetic construction on her behaviour

5. grammar a group of words that together make up one of the constituents into which a sentence may be analysed; a phrase or clause

6. geometry a drawing of a line, angle, or figure satisfying certain conditions, used in solving a problem or proving a theorem

7. an abstract work of art in three dimensions or relief See also constructivism

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preconstruction
  noun
• constructional
  adjective
• constructionally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• constructions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of construction

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin constrūctiōn-, stem of constrūctiō “placement together, building,” from constrūct(us) “put together” ( see construct) + -iō -ion

Explanation

The creation or building of something is construction. Depending on your budget, if you are building a new house, you will get the construction of a castle, a house, a cottage, or a shack. The word construction has its roots in the Latin word construere, which itself has roots in com-, meaning "together," and struere meaning "to pile up." In addition to the building of property, the noun construction also refers to the building trade itself. If you work for a company that builds things — from offices to houses and bridges to dams — you work in construction, whether you are a carpenter at the work site or the secretary who schedules the jobs.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

construction constructions

Sutor has rehabbed seven dilapidated homes around Gary and purchased 20 empty lots for new-home construction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

WC-Co cemented carbides are widely used in applications that demand extreme hardness and resistance to wear, including cutting tools, drills, machining equipment, and construction tools.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

Data released Monday showed a 0.1% fall in construction spending for June, but Bespoke Investment Group pointed out “notable upward revisions” for data-center spending.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Amid the setbacks, Wang’s dad stepped in as a contractor and Wang’s mom volunteered to serve as construction liaison.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

So when she came upon a work crew marching toward a construction site, she tried to join the end of the line.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

At the same time, the mathematical foundations behind these constructions are highly advanced and demand careful analytical work.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026

Not surprisingly, the new necessities have made new constructions a harder sell.

From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025

The album has too much happening to function as ambient or environmental music—though loops are plentiful, there’s a consistent sense of development through these constructions, as elements are born, bloom and fade away.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025

Family is like a tapestry, sewn together in a constant story despite different constructions and experiences.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025

The scale of their constructions and their agriculture infrastructure required sophisticated civic and social organization.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Related Words

• development
• manufacture
• plan
• planning
• structure
• system