build

American  

[bild] / bɪld /

verb (used with object)

• builds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• built,
  past participle,  past
• builded,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• building
  present participle

1. to construct (especially something complex) by assembling and joining parts or materials.

   to build a house.

2. to establish, increase, or strengthen (often followed byup ).

   to build a business;

   to build up one's hopes.

3. to mold, form, or create.

   to build students into skilled professionals.

4. to base; found.

   a relationship built on trust.

5. Games.

   1. to make (words) from letters.

   2. to assemble (cards) according to number, suit, etc., as in melding.

   3. to create (a character in a role-playing game) by choosing a job class and/or a set of attributes, skills, weapons, armor, etc.; spec.

      If you want to build a Warlock, choosing Half-Elf for your race will give you more spells and magic resistance.

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verb (used without object)

• builds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• built,
  past participle,  past
• builded,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• building
  present participle

1. to engage in the art, practice, or business of building.

2. to form or construct a plan, system of thought, etc. (usually followed by on orupon ).

   He built on the philosophies of the past.

3. to increase or develop toward a maximum, as of intensity, tempo, or magnitude (often followed byup ).

   The drama builds steadily toward a climax.

noun

• builds
  plural

1. the physical structure, especially of a person; physique; figure.

   He had a strong build.

2. the manner or form of construction.

   The house was of modern build.

3. Computers.

   1. a version of a program after compilation, typically an update to an existing version made before the program is released.

   2. the process of producing a software build.

   3. a new version or update of data in a database or on a website.

      frequent, incremental builds of data.

4. (in a video game or tabletop role-playing game) a set of attributes, skills, weapons, armor, and other items chosen by the player that affect the character’s speed, strength, intelligence, etc., which may make the character more effective in some roles and less effective in others.

5. Masonry.

   1. a vertical joint.

   2. the vertical dimension of a stone laid on its bed.

verb phrase

1. build in / into to build or incorporate as part of something else: an allowance for travel expenses built into the budget.

   to build in bookcases between the windows;

   an allowance for travel expenses built into the budget.

2. build out to expand, construct, or develop: The team used to manually build out its marketing email list, but now it's automatic.

   They decided to build out the road network to connect the two towns.

   The team used to manually build out its marketing email list, but now it's automatic.

3. build up

   1. to develop or increase.

      to build up a bank account.

   2. to strengthen.

   3. to prepare in stages.

   4. to fill in with houses; develop into an urban area.

   5. to praise or flatter.

build British  

/ bɪld /

verb

1. to make, construct, or form by joining parts or materials

   to build a house

2. (intr) to be a builder by profession

3. (tr) to order the building of

   the government builds most of our hospitals

4. to base; found

   his theory was not built on facts

5. (tr) to establish and develop

   it took ten years to build a business

6. (tr) to make in a particular way or for a particular purpose

   the car was not built for speed

7. to increase in intensity

   the wind was building

8. cards

   1. to add cards to each other to form (a sequence or set)

   2. (intr) to add to the layout of cards on the table from one's hand

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noun

1. physical form, figure, or proportions

   a man with an athletic build

build Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing build

• built
• light (build) a fire under

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misbuild
  verb
• superbuild
  verb
• underbuild
  verb
• outbuild
  verb (used with object)
• prebuild
  verb (used with object)
• buildable
  adjective
• unbuildable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• builds
  plural

Participles

• building
  present
• builded
  past
• built
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• build
  simple
• builds
  simple
• have builded
  perfect
• have built
  perfect
• has builded
  perfect
• has built
  perfect
• am building
  progressive
• are building
  progressive
• is building
  progressive
• have been building
  perfect progressive
• has been building
  perfect progressive

Past

• builded
  simple
• built
  simple
• had builded
  perfect
• had built
  perfect
• was building
  progressive
• were building
  progressive
• had been building
  perfect progressive

Future

• will build
  simple
• will have builded
  perfect
• will have built
  perfect
• will be building
  progressive
• will have been building
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of build

First recorded before 1150; from Middle English bilden, Old English byldan, derivative of bold, variant of botl “dwelling, house”

Explanation

To build is to construct or make something. When you build a house, you start at the very bottom, with the foundation, and work your way up. You build a birdhouse using scraps of wood, a hammer, and nails, or you can build a career as a poet by writing daily and submitting poems to literary magazines. In both examples, you're constructing something yourself using materials and hard work. Another meaning is to make stronger: "I have to build my endurance if I'm going to finish that marathon." The Old English root of build, byldan, specifically means "build a house," from bold, "house."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

build builds builded built building

"I came here because I wanted to build a life for myself and my family that was defined by my own actions, not anyone else's," she wrote.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

The company is planning up to $145 billion in capital spending this year, largely to build out AI infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

To build support for the bill, Bailey and his team contacted hundreds of local groups sending them the "secret files" which detailed activities councils were getting up to behind closed doors.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Developers are seeking to replace the decades-old Pechanga Arena, and build a new 16,000-seat facility, 4,254 homes, including up to 2,000 affordable units, and commercial and outdoor space.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

And on a scale as large as a tectonic plate, a little bit of motion combined with a lot of stickiness can build up an enormous amount of energy.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

That is until Thatcher ratchets up the eerie tension tenfold while Refn builds his gorgeous fantasy around her.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

This success builds on the gold O'Connor won at the Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland in July and silver at last year's World Championships.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

“Hill climbing has become, basically, if you have some metric, how do you get better at it?” said Ashwin Sreenivas, co-founder of Decagon, a company that builds AI customer service agents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The label is the latest feature from the streaming platform that builds on transparency between the artist and their listeners.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

The heat is insufferable, it builds and builds.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

“Here where Nature has builded her finest playground, man has added the material things which provide the comforts that make life worth while,” proclaimed a 1921 advertisement in The Times titled “The Great Southwest.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2022

It is prophesied that the sound of the hammer will not cease for five years in Washington, at the end of which time the house will be builded.

From Time Magazine Archive

Born luckily to place and power, Premier Jon Bratiano has held and builded upon both.

From Time Magazine Archive

And was Jerusalem builded here Among these dark Satanic mills?

From Time Magazine Archive

Oh, he was not lying; his own triumph had outrun him; he had builded even better in evil than even he could have hoped.

From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner

General Mills has turned to a different source for help understanding GLP-1 users: an AI-powered “digital persona” built from consumer interviews, social insights and sales data that employees quiz through a computer screen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

It's said that he built the causeway as a bridge to Scotland, in order to fight another giant who was taunting him.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

More than 370,000 miles of roads were built through national forests prior to the 2001 rule, with a maintenance backlog of billions of dollars.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

Builders pulled back on constructing new homes in July, dropping the pace of newly built single-family homes to the slowest level in nearly four years.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

We built their fairy homes out of birchbark and flowers.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

In 1974 Bailey was one of the organisers behind the occupation of the Centrepoint building in London, as part of a protest against homelessness.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

I think my generation is getting capitalism completely wrong, because those of us who are actually building companies are showing that opportunity hasn’t disappeared nearly as completely as some young people believe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Since then he has featured more than 300 benches around the world, building a following of nearly 18,000 people.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Whereas surfing is beneficial for building core strength and balance, yoga is helpful for mobility and proprioception, for example.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Max and I stepped out of the building, and the cool night temperatures were beginning to settle.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• assemble
• erect
• evolve
• form
• make
• manufacture
• produce
• raise
• reconstruct
• set up