builder

American  

[bil-der] / ˈbɪl dər /

noun

1. a person who builds.

2. a person who constructs buildings under contract or as a speculation.

3. a substance, as an abrasive or filler, added to soaps or other cleaning agents to increase their effectiveness.

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builder British  

/ ˈbɪldə /

noun

1. a person who builds, esp one who contracts for and supervises the construction or repair of buildings

2. a substance added to a soap or detergent as a filler or abrasive

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Other Word Forms

• underbuilder noun

Etymology

Origin of builder

First recorded in 1350–1400, builder is from the Middle English word bildere. See build, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Will model builders such as Anthropic or OpenAI become a commodity as they compete with cheaper models such as DeepSeek, which emerged from China?

From The Wall Street Journal

“We are looking for students who want to be bridge builders,” New York University tells applicants on its website.

From The Wall Street Journal

The ancient Romans, like a lot of pre-21st century builders, did not make accessibility a design priority, but with the Paralympics coming to town, city authorities have invested in an upgrade.

From Barron's

Ribosomes are best known as the cell's protein builders.

From Science Daily

Anywhere from 100 to 5,000 people are needed to build a data center, said Ben Kaplan, managing director of the advanced technology group at Turner Construction, a builder.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• architect
• artisan
• contractor
• inventor
• maker
• manufacturer
• producer