noun
-
the art or technique of working wood
-
the work produced by a carpenter; woodwork
Etymology
Origin of carpentry
1350–1400; Middle English carpentrie < Old North French < Latin carpentāria ( fabrica ) carriage-maker's (workshop). See carpenter, -y 3
Compare meaning
How does carpentry compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Vocabulary lists containing carpentry
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.
The play has the old-fashioned carpentry of a solid one-act or mid-century short story.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
Both of his grandfathers were small-business owners, and he spent his summers working for them as a landscaper and helping out with carpentry work.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
He does not earn enough from the sport to quit his carpentry business.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026
“So I’ve done that, I’ve tried to be useful in growing food and I’ve also taken up carpentry as well.”
From MarketWatch • Nov. 20, 2025
He had his own set of carpentry tools and a distinctly German design sensibility.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
![]()
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.