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

Five of the advanced anti-submarine ships are at various stages of construction at BAE Systems yards on the River Clyde, with work yet to begin on a further three.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Shipyards in Glasgow will start building some Type-26 frigates for Norway before completing construction of an eight-ship order of the same warships for the Royal Navy.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Activists have halted $18 billion in new data-center construction and delayed $46 billion more in 24 states.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Other infrastructure projects have also fared poorly, with critics complaining of onerous permit procedures and strict rules around all aspects of construction.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Jordie refers to Pamela’s designer yoga pants as leggings, and she storms out, ripping one of the chains under construction right down the middle.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Related Words

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