building
Americannoun
-
a relatively permanent enclosed construction over a plot of land, having a roof and usually windows and often more than one level, used for any of a wide variety of activities, as living, entertaining, or manufacturing.
-
anything built or constructed.
-
the act, business, or practice of constructing houses, office buildings, etc.
noun
-
something built with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory
-
the act, business, occupation, or art of building houses, boats, etc
Related Words
Building, edifice, structure refer to something built. Building and structure may apply to either a finished or an unfinished product of construction, and carry no implications as to size or condition. Edifice is a more formal word and narrower in application, referring to a completed structure, and usually a large and imposing one. Building generally connotes a useful purpose (houses, schools, business offices, etc.); structure suggests the planning and constructive process.
Other Word Forms
- buildingless adjective
- underbuilding noun
Etymology
Origin of building
First recorded in 1250–1300, building is from the Middle English word byldinge. See build, -ing 1
Explanation
Building is the process of making something. Building Lego cities and towns is the favorite activity of many kids. When a construction company is building a structure like a grocery store or a school, you can say it's building a building. Anything from a small house to a skyscraper can be called a building, and both meanings of the word come from the verb build, with its Old English root byldan, "build or construct a house."
Vocabulary lists containing building
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.
Police have concluded searches at at the headquarters of a religious group in Cheshire and say the building has been "released to the residents".
From BBC • May 3, 2026
If you were told the building was haunted, you might attribute that agitation to something supernatural.
From Science Daily • May 3, 2026
The body adapts to challenge, building capacity that remains after the workout ends.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
The Israeli military confirmed a "religious building" was damaged by troops operating in the village of Yaroun and "houses located in a religious compound" were "damaged" during an operation to "destroy terrorist infrastructure".
From Barron's • May 3, 2026
She walks toward the front of the building, where coordinating green picnic tables sit beneath a canopy, with vehicles parked on either side.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
