architect
Americannoun
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a person who engages in the profession of architecture.
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a person professionally engaged in the design of certain large constructions other than buildings and the like.
landscape architect; naval architect.
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the deviser, maker, or creator of anything.
the architects of the Constitution of the United States.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a person qualified to design buildings and to superintend their erection
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a person similarly qualified in another form of construction
a naval architect
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any planner or creator
the architect of the expedition
verb
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing architect
Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Play by the Rules: Arch
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Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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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.
Outside the Senate on Wednesday, about 500 riot police faced off with some 250 protesters demanding the arrest and handover to the ICC of a person they described as the "architect" of Duterte's drug war.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
How do you memorialize an architect, even a widely admired one?
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
Gray’s interest in the theater led him to UCLA’s extensive archive of papers by prolific Los Angeles architect S. Charles Lee, who was credited with designing more than 400 theaters globally.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
And that is because Gunners boss Mikel Arteta must overcome a master strategist and inspirational footballing architect in his PSG counterpart Luis Enrique.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
In shape it is as defiantly individual as the architect himself and refuses to conform to the boxlike apartments around it.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
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.
