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” ( 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

Most of the impacts appear in the early stages of a project, during transmission line construction, but some persist during operation, the researchers found.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

Tom first travelled through Asia before arriving in Melbourne in March, where he found a place to live and a job in construction.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

He wants to see the company sold or matched with a strategic partner that could bring a lower cost of capital, a record in construction “and a customer at the table.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

The National Association of Realtors reports pending home sales on Tuesday, while the Census Bureau releases residential construction statistics on Thursday.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

He began by ordering the construction of a great new warship, which he named the Mary Rose.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

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