build
Americanverb (used with object)
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builds,
present (3rd person singular)
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built,
past participle, past
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builded,
past participle, past (Archaic)
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building
present participle
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to construct (especially something complex) by assembling and joining parts or materials.
to build a house.
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to establish, increase, or strengthen (often followed byup ).
to build a business;
to build up one's hopes.
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to mold, form, or create.
to build students into skilled professionals.
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a relationship built on trust.
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Games.
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to make (words) from letters.
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to assemble (cards) according to number, suit, etc., as in melding.
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to create (a character in a role-playing game) by choosing a job class and/or a set of attributes, skills, weapons, armor, etc.; spec.
If you want to build a Warlock, choosing Half-Elf for your race will give you more spells and magic resistance.
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verb (used without object)
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builds,
present (3rd person singular)
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built,
past participle, past
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builded,
past participle, past (Archaic)
-
building
present participle
-
to engage in the art, practice, or business of building.
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to form or construct a plan, system of thought, etc. (usually followed by on orupon ).
He built on the philosophies of the past.
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to increase or develop toward a maximum, as of intensity, tempo, or magnitude (often followed byup ).
The drama builds steadily toward a climax.
noun
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builds
plural
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the physical structure, especially of a person; physique; figure.
He had a strong build.
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the manner or form of construction.
The house was of modern build.
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Computers.
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a version of a program after compilation, typically an update to an existing version made before the program is released.
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the process of producing a software build.
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a new version or update of data in a database or on a website.
frequent, incremental builds of data.
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(in a video game or tabletop role-playing game) a set of attributes, skills, weapons, armor, and other items chosen by the player that affect the character’s speed, strength, intelligence, etc., which may make the character more effective in some roles and less effective in others.
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Masonry.
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a vertical joint.
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the vertical dimension of a stone laid on its bed.
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verb phrase
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build in / into to build or incorporate as part of something else: an allowance for travel expenses built into the budget.
to build in bookcases between the windows;
an allowance for travel expenses built into the budget.
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build out to expand, construct, or develop: The team used to manually build out its marketing email list, but now it's automatic.
They decided to build out the road network to connect the two towns.
The team used to manually build out its marketing email list, but now it's automatic.
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build up
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to develop or increase.
to build up a bank account.
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to strengthen.
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to prepare in stages.
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to fill in with houses; develop into an urban area.
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to praise or flatter.
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verb
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to make, construct, or form by joining parts or materials
to build a house
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(intr) to be a builder by profession
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(tr) to order the building of
the government builds most of our hospitals
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to base; found
his theory was not built on facts
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(tr) to establish and develop
it took ten years to build a business
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(tr) to make in a particular way or for a particular purpose
the car was not built for speed
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to increase in intensity
the wind was building
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cards
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to add cards to each other to form (a sequence or set)
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(intr) to add to the layout of cards on the table from one's hand
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noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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misbuildverb
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superbuildverb
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underbuildverb
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outbuildverb (used with object)
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prebuildverb (used with object)
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buildableadjective
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unbuildableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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buildsimple
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buildssimple
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have buildedperfect
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have builtperfect
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has buildedperfect
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has builtperfect
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am buildingprogressive
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are buildingprogressive
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is buildingprogressive
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have been buildingperfect progressive
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has been buildingperfect progressive
Past
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buildedsimple
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builtsimple
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had buildedperfect
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had builtperfect
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was buildingprogressive
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were buildingprogressive
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had been buildingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of build
First recorded before 1150; from Middle English bilden, Old English byldan, derivative of bold, variant of botl “dwelling, house”
Explanation
To build is to construct or make something. When you build a house, you start at the very bottom, with the foundation, and work your way up. You build a birdhouse using scraps of wood, a hammer, and nails, or you can build a career as a poet by writing daily and submitting poems to literary magazines. In both examples, you're constructing something yourself using materials and hard work. Another meaning is to make stronger: "I have to build my endurance if I'm going to finish that marathon." The Old English root of build, byldan, specifically means "build a house," from bold, "house."
Vocabulary lists containing build
"The Giving Tree"
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Make
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
By determining where magma begins its ascent, how quickly it moves and which gases are driving that movement, researchers may be able to build more realistic models of how dangerous eruptions unfold.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
When contact is established, scammers work to build trust through flattery, shared personal experiences, romantic interest, fake testimonials and, yes, promises of love or money, the bureau adds.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Sphere, which cost $2.3 billion to build after going over budget, opened in 2023 with a residency by U2.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Shortly after, Guidera started Dream Team Surf, a collective for queer surfers to meet up and build camaraderie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
He wanted to build a porch on the snowhouse.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
The findings support the University of Bristol's research 'Grand Challenge' focus on Understanding and Preventing Cardiovascular Disease and builds on NIHR-funded initiatives aimed at earlier identification of people with hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
City are more methodical under Enzo Maresca, with the way that he builds play from the back - they won't be swashbuckling, put it that way.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
"The UAE invests for the long term and builds partnerships that endure," UAE Industry Minister Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
The 46-year-old builds sculptures, art installations, archives and community.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Tension builds inside me until I can’t stand to hold it in anymore—I have to cry, or scream, or .
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
“Here where Nature has builded her finest playground, man has added the material things which provide the comforts that make life worth while,” proclaimed a 1921 advertisement in The Times titled “The Great Southwest.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2022
And was Jerusalem builded here Among these dark Satanic mills?
From Time Magazine Archive
It is prophesied that the sound of the hammer will not cease for five years in Washington, at the end of which time the house will be builded.
From Time Magazine Archive
Our heritage is builded high On faith and love—they will not die!
From Time Magazine Archive
We have builded our Camp anew, & as it saith in Genesis, “/ dwell in the Tents of Shem.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
A representative for Walter’s conglomerate, TWG Global, has said the company is proud of the business it built and “confident these matters will be resolved favorably.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
“I had met a lot of other surfers from all over the world and built a queer community of surfers here in L.A.,” says Walsh.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
The team proposes doing this by linking the electrons to a quantum computer built around trapped ions.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
The Elysium Memorial, at the site in Alrewas, Staffordshire, is the first permanent memorial of its kind to be built in the UK.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
I built a fire in the cooker and fed the dogs part of their food and ate some of my own.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
Mushrooms contain a remarkable amount of water, and I want some of it gone before I start building the stew around them.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Demand risks are also building alongside the supply shock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
He began to connect with gay surfers, organizing trips with them and building lasting friendships.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
An Anthropic spokesperson told BBC News that it was building "models with some of the strongest safeguards in the industry".
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
But the church building itself, dating back to better days, was large, and so was Willem and Tine’s house across the street.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
