built

American  

[bilt] / bɪlt /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of build.

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adjective

1. Informal.

   1. of sound or sturdy construction.

      These cars are really built.

   2. having a good physique or figure.

      That lifeguard is really built!

2. Nautical. noting any member or part of a vessel assembled from pieces.

   built frame; built spar.

built British  

/ bɪlt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of build

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built Idioms  

1. see made (built) to order; not built that way; Rome wasn't built in a day. Also see under build.

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Other Word Forms

• well-built adjective

Etymology

Origin of built

First recorded in 1560–70, for the adjective

Example Sentences

In a new study using mice, Datta and his colleagues built the first detailed map showing how more than a thousand types of smell receptors are arranged inside the nose.

From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 2026

Iona recalls that she "inevitably slid into the oil and gas industry" where, like thousands of others, she built a successful and lucrative career.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Pipelines are being built to transport more gas and lift those prices, but they won’t be finished for a couple of years.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

China has built the robotic infrastructure—sensors, hoppers and relay satellites—needed for a permanent lunar base.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

When the fish was cleaned and Selkie had stopped barking for more, Nim wrapped it in leaves and built a bonfire on the beach.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr