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build

[bild]
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verb (used with object), built or (Archaic) build·ed; build·ing.
  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 by up): to build a business; to build up one's hopes.
  3. to mold, form, or create: to build boys into men.
  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.
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verb (used without object), built or (Archaic) build·ed; build·ing.
  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 or upon): He built on the philosophies of the past.
  3. to increase or develop toward a maximum, as of intensity, tempo, or magnitude (often followed by up): The drama builds steadily toward a climax.
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noun
  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. Masonry.
    1. a vertical joint.
    2. the vertical dimension of a stone laid on its bed.
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Verb Phrases
  1. build in/into, to build or incorporate as part of something else: to build in bookcases between the windows; an allowance for travel expenses built into the budget.
  2. 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.
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Origin of build

before 1150; Middle English bilden, Old English byldan, derivative of bold, variant of botl dwelling, house
Related formsbuild·a·ble, adjectivemis·build, verb, mis·built, mis·build·ing.out·build, verb (used with object), out·built, out·build·ing.pre·build, verb (used with object), pre·built, pre·build·ing.su·per·build, verb, su·per·built, su·per·build·ing.un·build·a·ble, adjectiveun·der·build, verb, un·der·built, un·der·build·ing.
Can be confusedbilled build
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

surmiseguessassumegatherconjecturefancysuspectexpectunderstandbelievethinktakesupposepresumeimaginehopeaccreditstaketrustventure
British Dictionary definitions for build on

build

verb builds, building or built
  1. to make, construct, or form by joining parts or materialsto build a house
  2. (intr) to be a builder by profession
  3. (tr) to order the building ofthe government builds most of our hospitals
  4. (foll by on or upon) to base; foundhis theory was not built on facts
  5. (tr) to establish and developit took ten years to build a business
  6. (tr) to make in a particular way or for a particular purposethe car was not built for speed
  7. (intr often foll by up) to increase in intensitythe 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 proportionsa man with an athletic build
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See also build in, build into, build up

Word Origin

Old English byldan; related to bylda farmer, bold building, Old Norse bōl farm, dwelling; see bower 1
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

Word Origin and History for build on

build

v.

late Old English byldan "construct a house," verb form of bold "house," from Proto-Germanic *buthlam (cf. Old Saxon bodl, Old Frisian bodel "building, house"), from PIE *bhu- "to dwell," from root *bheue- "to be, exist, grow" (see be). Rare in Old English; in Middle English it won out over more common Old English timbran (see timber). Modern spelling is unexplained. Figurative use from mid-15c. Of physical things other than buildings from late 16c. Related: Builded (archaic); built; building.

In the United States, this verb is used with much more latitude than in England. There, as Fennimore Cooper puts it, everything is BUILT. The priest BUILDS up a flock; the speculator a fortune; the lawyer a reputation; the landlord a town; and the tailor, as in England, BUILDS up a suit of clothes. A fire is BUILT instead of made, and the expression is even extended to individuals, to be BUILT being used with the meaning of formed. [Farmer, "Slang and Its Analogues," 1890]
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build

n.

"style of construction," 1660s, from build (v.). Earlier in this sense was built (1610s). Meaning "physical construction and fitness of a person" attested by 1981. Earliest sense, now obsolete, was "a building" (early 14c.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with build on

build on

Also, build upon. Add as an extension; use as a basis or foundation. For example, They decided to build on an addition, or She was building all her hopes on passing the exam. John Locke had this idiom in his treatise on government (1689): “Sovereignty built on ‘property’ . . . comes to nothing.” [Late 1600s]

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build

In addition to the idioms beginning with build

  • build down
  • build in
  • build on
  • build on sand
  • build up

also see:

  • light (build) a fire under

Also see underbuilt.

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.