construct

American  

[kuhn-struhkt, kon-struhkt] / kənˈstrʌkt, ˈkɒn strʌkt /

verb (used with object)

• constructs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• constructed,
  past participle,  past
• constructing
  present participle

1. 

   to build or form by putting together parts; frame; devise.

   Synonyms:

   form, erect

2. Geometry. to draw (a figure) fulfilling certain given conditions.

---

noun

• constructs
  plural

1. something constructed.

   Each musical note sign is a construct of three distinct parts: the head, the stem, and the hook.

2. a mental image, idea, or theory, especially a complex one formed from a number of simpler elements.

   Character is a construct of personal values, personal rules and morals, and a number of other facets, including self-control and willpower.

construct British  

verb

1. to put together substances or parts, esp systematically, in order to make or build (a building, bridge, etc); assemble

2. to compose or frame mentally (an argument, sentence, etc)

3. geometry to draw (a line, angle, or figure) so that certain requirements are satisfied

---

noun

1. something formulated or built systematically

2. a complex idea resulting from a synthesis of simpler ideas

3. psychol a model devised on the basis of observation, designed to relate what is observed to some theoretical framework

Usage

What does construct mean? To construct means to build or create by putting parts together, as in Val constructed a whole town out of toy building blocks. A construct is something that is created, often with a complex form. The verb form of construct, pronounced kuhn-struhkt, is most often used to refer to buildings and monuments being built, but it can be used in any situation where something is built or parts are combined. You can construct a meal, for example, out of ingredients in your refrigerator or construct an outfit out of articles of clothing in your closet. The noun form of construct, pronounced kon-struhkt, is anything that is built, either literally or figuratively. It is most often used figuratively to describe something that is made up of practices or ideas from a specific philosophy or school of thought. Constructs are often complex theories that are informed by many smaller ideas of the way things work. Example: The gas company tried to construct a new pipeline, but the pipes kept leaking.

Synonym Usage

See make ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• constructor
  noun
• overconstruct
  verb (used with object)
• preconstruct
  verb (used with object)
• constructible
  adjective
• quasi-constructed
  adjective
• well-constructed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• constructs
  plural

Participles

• constructing
  present
• constructed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• construct
  simple
• constructs
  simple
• have constructed
  perfect
• has constructed
  perfect
• am constructing
  progressive
• are constructing
  progressive
• is constructing
  progressive
• have been constructing
  perfect progressive
• has been constructing
  perfect progressive

Past

• constructed
  simple
• had constructed
  perfect
• was constructing
  progressive
• were constructing
  progressive
• had been constructing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will construct
  simple
• will have constructed
  perfect
• will be constructing
  progressive
• will have been constructing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of construct

First recorded in 1400–50 for earlier past participle sense; 1655–65 for current senses; late Middle English, from Latin constrūctus (past participle of construere “to construe ”), equivalent to con- con- + strūc- (variant stem of struere “to build”) + -tus past participle suffix

Explanation

To construct things is to build them. You might construct a sand castle the next time you're at the beach, or you might construct a theory about why your brother always manages to get away with breaking the rules. The verb construct comes from the Latin word constructus, meaning “to heap up.” If you work in construction you're in the business of building things, and you probably construct buildings, roads, municipal parks, and other large permanent structures. Students of psychology are familiar with the noun form of construct, which refers to an abstract concept. Much of psychological theory is founded on constructs — like gender, morality, and intelligence.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

construct constructs constructed constructing

Most towns and local governments have rules on how big a lot must be for a builder to construct a single-family home on it.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced in the summer a package of support , externalmeasures including grant funding to construct reservoirs and irrigation infrastructure.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

“He engages the white construct in a way that’s intelligent and everything, and then I see this commercial where he’s sitting there playing Aretha Franklin and he’s dancing a jig,” he said.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

At least one of Tomlin’s former players is astonished that he was able to construct a sprawling “Minecraft” community in the limited spare time enjoyed by an NFL head coach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

It had been built above the original stone castle, and cost a kingdom’s wealth to construct.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

It is under that authority, and consistent with the long sweep of history, that the president constructs the ballroom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Once the selected become official members of the Green Lantern Corps, they can wield their rings to create astronomical constructs.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Heifetz is grounded in her decision by a central tenet of Earthseed, the fictional religion Butler constructs in “Parable of the Sower.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026

"What you see them do is navigate a world with the constructs of capitalism," he says.

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

And yet the world it constructs in the mind is full of light.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Meanwhile, a network of around 15 small-scale power plants has been constructed around the city over the past 18 months in an effort to shore up Kyiv's battered power grid.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

The decorated vessels were constructed using the Mississippian technique of coiling clay and followed more consistent clay recipes, suggesting a higher degree of specialized knowledge.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

The argument they’re advancing, as I can tell, is constructed out of preemption vapors.

From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026

“I think a lot of students see Greek life as the only way that social life can be constructed on campus,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

He constructed a cylinder containing a small amount of water, which he heated over a flame.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

F1 pulls it off by constructing a bubble where almost everyone observes the fiction that they are still in Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

This isn’t about optimizing every meal, spending three hours prepping identical containers or constructing the sort of Sunday routine that makes you feel behind when you inevitably skip it.

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026

Rather than constructing the desired quantum states one small piece at a time, their method can perform a wide variety of operations much faster.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

He said that principle was essential to "constructing an economy that is fit for the 21st Century".

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Without access to coral reefs or productive shallow waters, and with their terrestrial birds quickly exterminated, Easter Islanders turned to constructing chicken houses for intensive poultry farming.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• build up
• compose
• create
• design
• erect
• establish
• fashion
• forge
• form
• formulate
• found
• manufacture
• organize
• produce
• put up
• set up
• shape