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architect

American  
[ahr-ki-tekt] / ˈɑr kɪˌtɛkt /

noun

  • architects
    plural
  1. a person who engages in the profession of architecture.

  2. a person professionally engaged in the design of certain large constructions other than buildings and the like.

    landscape architect; naval architect.

  3. the deviser, maker, or creator of anything.

    the architects of the Constitution of the United States.


verb (used with object)

  1. to plan, organize, or structure as an architect.

    The house is well architected.

architect British  
/ ˈɑːkɪˌtɛkt /

noun

  1. a person qualified to design buildings and to superintend their erection

  2. a person similarly qualified in another form of construction

    a naval architect

  3. any planner or creator

    the architect of the expedition

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to plan or create (something, esp a computer system)

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of architect

1555–65; < Latin architectus < Greek architéktōn, equivalent to Greek archi- archi- + tektōn builder, craftsman

Explanation

A person who designs buildings is an architect. If you become an architect, you'll be responsible for drawing the blueprints, planning the work, and sometimes even overseeing the construction of a building. Frank Lloyd Wright was a famous architect who helped complete over 500 projects in his lifetime, including private homes, skyscrapers, museums, churches, and schools. Architects work on buildings of all types, and the Greek root arkhitektōn literally means “chief builder.” An architect can construct other things too, like the architects who design a video game, or the architect of your misfortune who dumped green slime on your head at a school dance.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing architect

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:

Tongue was the architect of Pakistan losing their last five wickets for 21 runs.

From BBC Aug. 19, 2026

Designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen and opened in 1962, the terminal has a dramatic, glass-walled facade with a sloping roofline that recalls a wingspan.

From Slate Aug. 18, 2026

In 1999, at the age of 20, she married 64-year-old Reno architect Waldemar Eklof III, who had designed buildings including the city’s Atlantis Casino Resort.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 14, 2026

The Venice compound, which was built in 2004 by Los Angeles-based architect Kevin Mulcahy and which Scott purchased in 2017 for $2.2 million, spans 4,600 square feet.

From MarketWatch Aug. 14, 2026

He was a man of many parts: a scholar, an artist, an engineer, an architect, a man of peace, and a man of war.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

And yet the plan is not working — at least not in the way its architects intended.

From Salon Aug. 15, 2026

Phil became an opera company and Disney an almost fullfledged opera house, staging Mozart’s three Da Ponte operas with sets by famed architects, beginning with Gehry, and costumes by edgy designers.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 12, 2026

“As AI compute workloads increase in both speed and bandwidth, data-center architects are turning to optical links as a primary means of connectivity,” he said.

From MarketWatch Aug. 11, 2026

Making matters worse, the plan’s architects overstated the river’s flow.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 6, 2026

Most of the buildings on this side of the camp had been put up in the early months, before they’d found people who’d been architects and contractors and put them in charge.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner

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