erect

American  

[ih-rekt] / ɪˈrɛkt /

adjective

1. upright in position or posture.

   to stand or sit erect.

   Synonyms:

   vertical, standing

2. raised or directed upward.

   a dog with ears erect.

3. Botany. vertical throughout; not spreading or declined.

   an erect stem;

   an erect leaf or ovule.

4. Heraldry.

   1. (of a charge) represented vertically, following the line of a pale.

      a sword erect.

   2. (of an animal or part of an animal) represented upright.

      a boar's head erect.

5. Optics. (of an image) having the same position as the object; not inverted.

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verb (used with object)

• erects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• erected,
  past participle,  past
• erecting
  present participle

1. to build; construct; raise.

   to erect a house.

   Synonyms:

   upraise, upend, set up, put up

2. to raise and set in an upright or vertical position.

   to erect a telegraph pole.

3. to set up or establish, as an institution; found.

4. to bring about; cause to come into existence.

   to erect barriers to progress.

5. Geometry. to draw or construct (a line or figure) upon a given line, base, or the like.

6. to form or create legally (usually followed byinto ).

   to erect a territory into a state.

7. Optics. to change (an inverted image) to the normal position.

8. Machinery. to assemble; make ready for use.

verb (used without object)

• erects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• erected,
  past participle,  past
• erecting
  present participle

1. to become erect; stand up or out.

erect British  

/ ɪˈrɛkt /

adjective

1. upright in posture or position; not bent or leaning

   an erect stance

2. (of an optical image) having the same orientation as the object; not inverted

3. physiol (of the penis, clitoris, or nipples) firm or rigid after swelling with blood, esp as a result of sexual excitement

4. (of plant parts) growing vertically or at right angles to the parts from which they arise

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verb

1. to put up; construct; build

2. to raise to an upright position; lift up

   to erect a flagpole

3. to found or form; set up

4. (also intr) physiol to become or cause to become firm or rigid by filling with blood

5. to hold up as an ideal; exalt

6. optics to change (an inverted image) to an upright position

7. to draw or construct (a line, figure, etc) on a given line or figure, esp at right angles to it

Synonym Usage

See upright.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• erectness
  noun
• semierectness
  noun
• suberectness
  noun
• preerect
  verb (used with object)
• reerect
  verb (used with object)
• erectable
  adjective
• nonerecting
  adjective
• semierect
  adjective
• suberect
  adjective
• unerect
  adjective
• erectly
  adverb
• semierectly
  adverb
• suberectly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• erecting
  present
• erected
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• erect
  simple
• erects
  simple
• have erected
  perfect
• has erected
  perfect
• am erecting
  progressive
• are erecting
  progressive
• is erecting
  progressive
• have been erecting
  perfect progressive
• has been erecting
  perfect progressive

Past

• erected
  simple
• had erected
  perfect
• was erecting
  progressive
• were erecting
  progressive
• had been erecting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will erect
  simple
• will have erected
  perfect
• will be erecting
  progressive
• will have been erecting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of erect

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin ērēctus “raised up” (past participle of ērigere ), equivalent to ē- e- ¹ + reg- “guide, direct” ( see royal) + -tus past participle suffix

Explanation

Erect means "build" or "upright." If you erect a house, you build it. If you stand erect, you hold your body as tall as possible. Erect comes from the Latin word erectus, meaning “upright, elevated, lofty” or “eager, alert, aroused.” Erect is a verb, as in, it will take you years to erect your replica of the Eiffel Tower using only gum and toothpicks. Erect is also an adjective, as in something that is tall, firm, straight or rigid, like a half-dead plant that becomes more erect when you water it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

erect erects erected erecting

If she didn’t already have her own theme park, it would be our cultural duty to erect one; she is among the most talented and universally beloved artists our country has ever produced.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

The National Trust for Historic Preservation had sued, arguing that the president has no authority to erect new buildings on government property.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

A sharper understanding of trade tensions and tactics is nonetheless warranted as governments erect new trade and investment restrictions and subsidies, which together are up fivefold since 2015.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

Which is without question why the prime minister was very keen in our interview to erect the highest bar he could to any wannabe successors triggering a leadership contest.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

Sumac perched erect on my shoulder as if he were standing guard, awaiting the rising of the Sun God.

From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis

The act erects massive barriers to entry to the market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

If the franchise ever erects statues in Exposition Park, the first will be made in his image.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2023

PHOTOS: Finland erects barriers at border with Russia to control influx of migrants.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 22, 2023

This issue is the AI alignment problem, and it’s another source of uncertainty that erects barriers to trust.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 3, 2023

A race builds itself for a million years, refines itself, erects cities like those out there, does everything it can to give itself respect and beauty, and then it dies.

From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury

Lead underwriter Goldman Sachs erected models just a few weeks ago of SpaceX rockets in the lobby of its New York headquarters.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

A stele monument was erected in 2024 to commemorate the victims of the Hirtenberg camp.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

You can tell the importance of someone by how many statutes have been erected in tribute, and Sir Billy Boston wasn't lacking.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

The mission placed Inside Safe enrollees in a tent structure it had erected several years earlier on a parking lot behind its building on San Pedro Street.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Had gravity been a trifle stronger, the universe itself might have collapsed like a badly erected tent without precisely the right values to give it the right dimensions and density and component parts.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

In 2021, Tennessee lawmakers proposed erecting a statue of Parton on the grounds of the state Capitol.

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026

In fact, experts generally hold that splitting the shots will decrease vaccination rates for all three diseases by erecting an unnecessary obstacle to the shots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

When makeshift roadblocks appeared, Minneapolis urged residents to stop erecting them, citing the need for emergency access, fire response, and roadways open for all.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Bolivians began demonstrating and erecting roadblocks in early May to demand salary increases, stable fuel supplies and measures to mitigate the worst economic crisis in 40 years.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

After De Soto’s army left the Caddo stopped erecting community centers and began digging community cemeteries.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• assemble
• construct
• create
• found
• hoist
• initiate
• mount
• organize
• put up
• raise
• set up
• stand