construction

American  

[kuhn-struhk-shuhn] / kənˈstrʌk ʃən /

noun

constructions plural

1. the act or art of constructing.

2. the way in which a thing is constructed.

   a building of solid construction.

3. something that is constructed; a structure.

4. the occupation or industry of building.

   He works in construction.

5. Grammar.

   1. the arrangement of two or more forms in a grammatical unit. Constructions involving bound forms are often called morphological, as the bound forms fif- and -teen. Those involving only free forms are often called syntactic, as the good man, in the house.

   2. a word or phrase consisting of two or more forms arranged in a particular way.

   3. a group of words or morphemes for which there is a rule in some part of the grammar.

6. explanation or interpretation, as of a law, a text, or an action.

   Synonyms:

   story, rendition, version

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construction British  

/ kənˈstrʌkʃən /

noun

1. the process or act of constructing or manner in which a thing is constructed

2. the thing constructed; a structure

3. 1. the business or work of building dwellings, offices, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a construction site

4. an interpretation or explanation of a law, text, action, etc

   they put a sympathetic construction on her behaviour

5. grammar a group of words that together make up one of the constituents into which a sentence may be analysed; a phrase or clause

6. geometry a drawing of a line, angle, or figure satisfying certain conditions, used in solving a problem or proving a theorem

7. an abstract work of art in three dimensions or relief See also constructivism

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preconstruction
  noun
• constructional
  adjective
• constructionally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• constructions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of construction

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin constrūctiōn-, stem of constrūctiō “placement together, building,” from constrūct(us) “put together” ( see construct) + -iō -ion

Explanation

The creation or building of something is construction. Depending on your budget, if you are building a new house, you will get the construction of a castle, a house, a cottage, or a shack. The word construction has its roots in the Latin word construere, which itself has roots in com-, meaning "together," and struere meaning "to pile up." In addition to the building of property, the noun construction also refers to the building trade itself. If you work for a company that builds things — from offices to houses and bridges to dams — you work in construction, whether you are a carpenter at the work site or the secretary who schedules the jobs.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

construction constructions

He took on various jobs, from construction to scavenging for waste and selling things at a street stall, before becoming a food deliveryman.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Home construction in the U.K. capital is nearing a standstill, with ground broken on just 4,170 housing units in 2024-25.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The fruits of Tahnoon’s push are visible in the form of a massive construction site on a sandy patch of land miles from central Abu Dhabi, where thousands of laborers are working day and night.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

In 2019, the Supreme Court awarded the disputed site for construction of the temple, paving the way for a huge fundraising drive across the country to finance the project.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Frankie had taken me to the World’s Fair during its construction, when the buildings had been half-formed.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

If Ms. Orton sang like her 19-year-old self, had the songs been tight constructions manicured by a hired-gun songwriter, had her insights felt unearned, such a declaration could have come across as trite.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

At the same time, the mathematical foundations behind these constructions are highly advanced and demand careful analytical work.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026

Not surprisingly, the new necessities have made new constructions a harder sell.

From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025

Family is like a tapestry, sewn together in a constant story despite different constructions and experiences.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025

This was primary source material, research papers based on direct experimental data, involved theoretical constructions utilizing a complex vocabulary and containing a wealth of original ideas—and he was breaking his head on it.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Related Words

• development
• manufacture
• plan
• planning
• structure
• system