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

The company hopes the project, known as Suncatcher, will someday allow it to build an orbital data center with thousands of interconnected satellites, fueled by the sun’s energy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Prop 1 guide: Lawmakers are asking voters to let the state borrow $11.25 billion to build and maintain housing low- and middle-income residents can afford.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

He added he was motivated to build a better model of care where "technology addressed some of the issues and frictions in the care sector".

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

She was referring to the idea that Meta, or another competitor, could build agentic AI systems and integrate them into their own hardware products, unseating the iPhone as a hub for consumer-technology interactions.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

We gather the pieces and build together for a while.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

However, the higher rates go and the longer they stay elevated, the more damage the sector is likely to incur, especially as nervousness likely builds ahead of earnings season.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

“That builds a foundation for all the events coming up, including the Super Bowl, the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics, as we have been continuously preparing for that.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

"If the system responsible for clearing signaling molecules isn't working properly, everything builds up."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

Valthos builds AI systems to detect, characterize and mitigate emerging biological threats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

“The air doesn’t move, and the carbon dioxide builds up. It’s like being in a mine.”

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

“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

Here William Rufus had builded; here Coke and Bacon handed down the Law.

From Time Magazine Archive

And was Jerusalem builded here Among these dark Satanic mills?

From Time Magazine Archive

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

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

Amazon and other big tech companies are racing to secure energy for newly built data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

I’ve proposed dividing what we built while she was raising the children equally.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

In a study published in npj Quantum Information, researchers from Surrey's Quantum Sciences Group describe a different approach built around superfluid helium-3 - an unusual form of liquid helium that can flow without friction.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

He had the castle built and, according to Ross and Cromarty Heritage Society, about 400 workers were involved in the construction from 1847.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

“It looks like a house built on the back of a car.”

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

At present, building and launching the orbital equivalent of a 1-gigawatt data center on Earth would cost around $30 billion, Elbert estimates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Speaking of parks, it’s inconsistent and puzzling that the museum’s beautiful park, which edges right up to the building, can be entered without having to also pass through security.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

"The building is falling apart, the cafeteria is too small. There's zero budget, zero resources, not enough supervisors," Raphael said.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

“The slow, incremental growth of U.S. demand can be met through improving operations rather than building new capacity. So that’s the base case.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

Anna May steered us along the crowded sidewalk toward the four-story building.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

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