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
- underbuilder noun
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.
Horton foresee a 19.1% home sales gross margin, narrower than the 21.8% the builder reported in the same quarter in 2025.
From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026
Reza Akef, a builder in the Palisades and chair of the Pacific Palisades Community Council’s Infrastructure Committee, said people do consider these incentives in deciding what appliances to buy.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
Closing that gap requires the government to show up as a builder, a buyer and a champion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
U.S. home builder confidence fell in April, with the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dropping to 34 from 38.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
Understand his lunatic theory of matter and mind, the chilly intellect, the hot imagination, blocks and builder, reality as stress.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
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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.