construction

American  

[kuhn-struhk-shuhn] / kənˈstrʌk ʃən /

noun

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

• constructional adjective
• constructionally adverb
• preconstruction noun

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” ( construct ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

In the coming weeks, Maine could become the first state to enact a moratorium on construction of these massive facilities -- which house millions of processors that form the backbone of the internet and AI.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Ashford also acquired Bennett family businesses that provide daily management, design, and construction for the hotels, paying with stock worth $475 million at the time.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

The appropriation, which requires City Council approval, would fund 80 projects, with construction of 1,528 new units and repairs to more than 2,500 affordable units in need of work.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

The decline was driven by a fall in output in the construction industry, as well as in electronic and optical products and in the pharmaceutical sector.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Now it was like he wore an orange construction vest and carried those signaling flashlights they have at airports.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

Related Words

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