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
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.
“How fortunate are we to have the builder in chief?”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
A separate IPO would list SB Energy, a midsize solar-power company that has become a data-center builder.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass took office four years ago with a reputation as a coalition builder — someone capable of bringing competing factions together to achieve a common goal.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
Berkshire Hathaway’s $6.8 billion deal to acquire a major home builder reflects its conviction that the housing market will shake off its yearslong slump and recover as it always has.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
As Rabi’s handpicked accelerator builder, Stan Livingston had sketched out a 750-million-volt synchrocyclotron.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
