carpenter

[ kahr-puhn-ter ]

/ ˈkɑr pən tər /

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See synonyms for carpenter on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who builds or repairs wooden structures, as houses, scaffolds, or shelving.

verb (used without object)

to do carpenter's work.

verb (used with object)

to make by carpentry.

to construct (a plot, scene, article, or the like) in a mechanical or unoriginal fashion.

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Question 1 of 7

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of carpenter

1275–1325; Middle English <Anglo-French <Late Latin carpentārius wainwright, equivalent to Latin carpent(um) two-wheeled carriage (<Celtic; compare Old Irish carpad chariot) + -ārius-ary; see -er²

OTHER WORDS FROM carpenter

un·car·pen·tered, adjective

Words nearby carpenter

Carpeaux, carpe diem, carpel, carpellate, Carpentaria, carpenter, carpenter ant, carpenter bee, carpenter gothic, carpentering, carpenter moth

Other definitions for carpenter (2 of 2)

Carpenter

[ kahr-puhn-ter ]

/ ˈkɑr pən tər /

noun

John Alden, 1876–1951, U.S. composer.

(Malcolm) Scott, 1925–2013, U.S. astronaut and oceanographer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use carpenter in a sentence

Stewart and Carpenter are locked in a contentious battle for the District 2 Senate seat in Aroostook County.
Maine Hires Lawyers With Criminal Records to Defend Poor Residents. The Governor Wants Reform.|by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor|October 14, 2020|ProPublica
In adult carpenter ants, the bacteria produce essential amino acids and play important roles in immunity.
How Two Became One: Origins of a Mysterious Symbiosis Found|Viviane Callier|September 9, 2020|Quanta Magazine
When the McGill researchers scrutinized the development of carpenter ant embryos, however, they saw to their surprise that Hox proteins were appearing during the first nuclear divisions — far ahead of schedule.
How Two Became One: Origins of a Mysterious Symbiosis Found|Viviane Callier|September 9, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Both cows and carpenter ants, for example, rely on bacterial partners in their digestive systems to help them get the most out of their food.
How Two Became One: Origins of a Mysterious Symbiosis Found|Viviane Callier|September 9, 2020|Quanta Magazine

We had a few old-timers, guys in their seventies—a classic carpenter, an arborist, and a Vietnam vet—and these guys just wouldn’t back down.
How We Saved Our Neighborhood from a Wildfire|Dain Zaffke|September 2, 2020|Outside Online
Sands was involved in a scandalous-for-the-time romance with the carpenter and there were rumors she was pregnant with his child.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The model: a carpenter who showed up to her house looking for work.
Blessed or Cursed? Child Prodigies Reveal All|Justin Jones|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He had been a Union carpenter for 30 years before retiring and devoting himself to nature photography.
He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles|Michael Daly|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The singular author Don Carpenter took his own life in 1995.
Don Carpenter Was a Novelist Both Lacerating and Forgiving|Louis B. Jones|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When a female candidate slips up, she should respond succinctly and then introduce third-party validators, said Carpenter.
The Gubernatorial Glass Ceiling—and What It Means for Hillary Clinton|Eleanor Clift|June 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Carpenter were the leaders, and this is claimed to have been the origin of Mechanics' Institutes.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
American writers claim that the first pressed glass tumbler was made about 40 years back in that country, by a carpenter.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Strachan departed highly elated, and repaired to a carpenter shop, where he ordered ten rough coffins made.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
The chief ambition of the great conqueror and legislator was to be a good boatswain and a good ship's carpenter.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
The red comb on the top of his head has teeth like a carpenter's saw, and is so large it will not stand up straight.
Seven O'Clock Stories|Robert Gordon Anderson

British Dictionary definitions for carpenter (1 of 2)

carpenter

/ (ˈkɑːpɪntə) /

noun

a person skilled in woodwork, esp in buildings, ships, etc

verb

(intr) to do the work of a carpenter

(tr) to make or fit together by or as if by carpentry

Word Origin for carpenter

C14: from Anglo-French, from Latin carpentārius wagon-maker, from carpentum wagon; of Celtic origin

British Dictionary definitions for carpenter (2 of 2)

Carpenter

/ (ˈkɑːpɪntə) /

noun

John Alden. 1876–1951, US composer, who used jazz rhythms in orchestral music: his works include the ballet Skyscrapers (1926) and the orchestral suite Adventures in a Perambulator (1915)

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

carpenter

Origin of carpenter

OTHER WORDS FROM carpenter

Words nearby carpenter

Other definitions for carpenter (2 of 2)

Words related to carpenter

How to use carpenter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for carpenter (1 of 2)

Word Origin for carpenter

British Dictionary definitions for carpenter (2 of 2)