erect

[ ih-rekt ]

/ ɪˈrɛkt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR erect ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

upright in position or posture: to stand or sit erect.

raised or directed upward: a dog with ears erect.

Botany. vertical throughout; not spreading or declined: an erect stem; an erect leaf or ovule.

Heraldry.

(of a charge) represented palewise: a sword erect.
(of an animal or part of an animal) represented upright: a boar's head erect.

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

verb (used with object)

to build; construct; raise: to erect a house.

to raise and set in an upright or vertical position: to erect a telegraph pole.

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

to bring about; cause to come into existence: to erect barriers to progress.

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

to form or create legally (usually followed by into): to erect a territory into a state.

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

Machinery. to assemble; make ready for use.

verb (used without object)

to become erect; stand up or out.

Nearby words

erebus, mount, erech, erechim, erechtheum, erechtheus, erect, erectile, erectile dysfunction, erectile impotence, erectile tissue, erecting prism

Origin of erect

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

SYNONYMS FOR erect

1 standing, vertical. See upright.

6 upraise.

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ANTONYMS FOR erect

1 reclining.

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Related forms

e·rect·a·ble, adjectivee·rect·ly, adverbe·rect·ness, nounnon·e·rect·ing, adjective

pre·e·rect, verb (used with object)re·e·rect, verb (used with object)self-e·rect·ed, adjectivesem·i·e·rect, adjectivesem·i·e·rect·ly, adverbsem·i·e·rect·ness, nounsub·e·rect, adjectivesub·e·rect·ly, adverbsub·e·rect·ness, nounun·e·rect, adjectiveun·e·rect·ed, adjectivewell-e·rect·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for erecting

They also can slow down the committee process, erecting obstacles to scheduling hearings.
The GOP’s Nuclear Winter Strategy|Eleanor Clift|December 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His illicit artwork showed that erecting barriers is not only inhumane, but also futile.
The Big Idea: Why Forgeries Are Great Art|Jonathon Keats|April 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One of his biggest achievements was erecting a library annex that had needed to be completed for 25 years.
Why ‘Mystery Speaker’ Clint Eastwood Loves the GOP|Miranda Green|August 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“CAI has become proficient at erecting schools off the beaten path, and Mortenson deserves praise for that,” Krakauer writes.
The Greg Mortenson Case's Fallout for Women|Michelle Goldberg|April 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Detroiters, now erecting a Robocop statue as a half-joking, half-serious morale boost, may want to consider bronzing Mulally next.
The CEO Hail Mary: A Scorecard on Corporate Change Agents|Nick Summers|March 1, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Mr. R. M. Watts was the architect, and the cost of erecting and equipping the building, exclusive of books, was 3234.
The City of Auckland|John Barr
In Figures 220 and 221 is a drawing of a connecting rod drawn, put together as it would be for the lathe, vise or erecting shop.
Mechanical Drawing Self-Taught|Joshua Rose
It has been compelled to face German militarism by erecting a system of universal military training.
A School History of the Great War|Albert E. McKinley, Charles A. Coulomb, and Armand J. Gerson
You are not like a master-builder planning and erecting a house.
Our Lady Saint Mary|J. G. H. Barry
The expense of erecting this gate was in the neighborhood of a half million of dollars.
Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow|Eliza R. Snow Smith

British Dictionary definitions for erecting

erect

/ (ɪˈrɛkt) /

adjective

upright in posture or position; not bent or leaningan erect stance

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

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

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

verb (mainly tr)

to put up; construct; build

to raise to an upright position; lift upto erect a flagpole

to found or form; set up

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

to hold up as an ideal; exalt

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

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

Derived Forms

erectable, adjectiveerectly, adverberectness, noun

Word Origin for erect

C14: from Latin ērigere to set up, from regere to control, govern

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for erecting

erect

[ ĭ-rĕkt′ ]

adj.

Being in or having a vertical, upright position.

Being in or having a stiff, rigid physiological condition.