Synonyms

built

American

[bilt] / bɪlt /

verb

simple past tense and past participle of build.

adjective

Informal.
1. of sound or sturdy construction.
  
  These cars are really built.
2. having a good physique or figure.
  
  That lifeguard is really built!
Nautical. noting any member or part of a vessel assembled from pieces.

built frame; built spar.

built British

/ bɪlt /

verb

the past tense and past participle of build

"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

built Idioms

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

Other Word Forms

well-built adjective

Etymology

Origin of built

First recorded in 1560–70, for the adjective

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.

In 2024, Palantir — founded in part with CIA seed funding and built from the start around government intelligence work — stepped into the space Google vacated.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

The rise in affluence is powering an American economy built on consumer spending, and transforming the types of products and services companies offer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

The win against United built on improved attacking performances, something that has been thrown at this Rangers side.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

“Cori has built a lot of trust with this group, and it shows in the way that she stays so composed,” Leger-Walker said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Next he built a fire and started pouring strange, smelly powders onto the flames.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023