carpenter

¹ American  

[kahr-puhn-ter] / ˈkɑr pən tər /

noun

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

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verb (used without object)

1. to do carpenter's work.

verb (used with object)

1. to make by carpentry.

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

Carpenter ² American  

[kahr-puhn-ter] / ˈkɑr pən tər /

noun

1. John Alden, 1876–1951, U.S. composer.

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

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carpenter ¹ British  

/ ˈkɑːpɪntə /

noun

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

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verb

1. (intr) to do the work of a carpenter

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

Carpenter ² British  

/ ˈkɑːpɪntə /

noun

1. 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)

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Other Word Forms

• uncarpentered adjective

Etymology

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 -er ²

Explanation

A carpenter is a person who makes things out of wood. You could hire a carpenter to build you a dining room table and two long benches. Carpenters specialize in woodworking, making furniture and buildings from wood and repairing various wooden things. If you wanted beautiful handmade wooden cabinets in your kitchen, you'd hire a carpenter. The word has been around since the 14th century, but it's been a common last name for even longer. It comes from the Late Latin carpentarius, "wagon maker," with its root word carpentum, "wagon."

Example Sentences

His father was a carpenter helping build minesweepers at Terminal Island for the Navy.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

The Welshman juggles his day job as a carpenter with the demands of a sport so visibly brutal it has stayed in the shadows of combat sports for much of its existence.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

Sprague co-hosted “Run My Renovation” for the DIY Network and was a carpenter on “Trading Spaces.”

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026

"We don't want to be invaded," the 70-year-old carpenter and former judge told AFP on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026

“He wants to give up being a carpenter, Fezzik.”

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

Related Words

• artisan
• builder
• cabinetmaker
• laborer
• woodworker
• worker