jerry-build

[ jer-ee-bild ]

/ ˈdʒɛr iˌbɪld /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: jerry-build / jerry-built on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), jer·ry-built, jer·ry-build·ing.

to build cheaply and flimsily.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of jerry-build

1880–85; back formation from jerry-builder.See jerry², build

OTHER WORDS FROM jerry-build

jerry-builder, noun

Words nearby jerry-build

Jeroboam, Jerold, Jerome, jerreed, jerry, jerry-build, jerry-built, jerry can, jersey, Jersey barrier, Jersey City

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use jerry-build in a sentence

Those are saguaro cactuses…the big ones…birds make holes in them and build their nests inside.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Therefore, we should—you guessed it—develop the Canadian tar sands and build the Keystone pipeline.
How Canadian Oilmen Pinkwash the Keystone Pipeline|Jay Michaelson|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“He could build studios and he understood technology,” Jackson told The Daily Beast.
Alleged Cop Killer’s Blood-Soaked Screenplay|M.L. Nestel|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The narrator is suggesting that they build a snowman that looks like a minister.
The Most Confusing Christmas Music Lyrics Explained (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Regardless, few had been given any reason to believe they could build a life for themselves beyond the streets.
Bobby Shmurda and Rap’s Ultimate Hoop Dream|Rawiya Kameir|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They lived at first in a tent; no time to build a house, till the wheat and vegetables were planted.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
Now is the time to build for the future, and to avoid paying too much attention to immediate profits.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
The birds that build them swallow a certain kind of glutinous weed growing on the coral rocks.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
Ki Pak's servants proceeded to build a fire in the centre of the yard and the cook made preparations for getting supper.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
To his astonishment, Lawrence recognized one of the guerrillas as Jerry Alcorn, his old time enemy.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn

British Dictionary definitions for jerry-build

jerry-build

verb -builds, -building or -built

(tr) to build (houses, flats, etc) badly using cheap materials

Derived forms of jerry-build

jerry-builder, noun

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

jerry-build

Origin of jerry-build

OTHER WORDS FROM jerry-build

Words nearby jerry-build

Words related to jerry-build

How to use jerry-build in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jerry-build

Derived forms of jerry-build