noun
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a person who builds, esp one who contracts for and supervises the construction or repair of buildings
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a substance added to a soap or detergent as a filler or abrasive
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of builder
First recorded in 1350–1400, builder is from the Middle English word bildere. See build, -er 1
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:
The Housing Ombudsman found Clarion had not handled the damp, mould and snagging issues appropriately even though the builder, Dandara, would still have been responsible during the defect period.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Meanwhile, the Seminole Tribe of Florida is alleging in litigation that Lennar, a home builder, built more than 450 defective homes with improperly installed roofs and mold-ridden walls, causing health problems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Home builder lawyers say that plaintiff lawyers are relying on flawed testing methods and mold assessors with questionable qualifications, while taking advantage of a growing hysteria across the country about mold’s health effects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
LAWA’s position is that LINXS, as the designer and builder, should have figured out the right code itself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
The builder sort of vacuumed up his coffee so it didn't burn his lips.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Elissa and Johnnie believe quality control during the build was lacking and more "stringent legislation" is needed so builders know "they can't build more rubbish homes".
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
People carrying out home renovations will gain greater protections against "cowboy builders" through a new database of trusted traders and a payment system offering more safeguards, the government has said.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Those claims helped spark a rise in the number of lawsuits against home builders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
American home builders also are viewed as among the big losers due to the new trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
Thanks mainly to Daniel Burnham the city had proved it could accomplish something marvelous against obstacles that by any measure should have humbled the builders.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
