construction

[ kuhn-struhk-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act or art of constructing.
2. the way in which a thing is constructed:

   a building of solid construction.

3. something that is constructed; a structure.
4. the occupation or industry of building:

   He works in construction.

5. Grammar.
   1. the arrangement of two or more forms in a grammatical unit. Constructions involving bound forms are often called morphological, as the bound forms fif- and -teen. Those involving only free forms are often called syntactic, as the good man, in the house. Compare bound form, free form.
   2. a word or phrase consisting of two or more forms arranged in a particular way.
   3. a group of words or morphemes for which there is a rule in some part of the grammar.
6. explanation or interpretation, as of a law, a text, or an action.

   Synonyms: story, rendition, version

construction

/ kənˈstrʌkʃən /

noun

1. the process or act of constructing or manner in which a thing is constructed
2. the thing constructed; a structure
3. 1. the business or work of building dwellings, offices, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      a construction site

4. an interpretation or explanation of a law, text, action, etc

   they put a sympathetic construction on her behaviour

5. grammar a group of words that together make up one of the constituents into which a sentence may be analysed; a phrase or clause
6. geometry a drawing of a line, angle, or figure satisfying certain conditions, used in solving a problem or proving a theorem
7. an abstract work of art in three dimensions or relief See also constructivism

Derived Forms

• conˈstructionally, adverb
• conˈstructional, adjective

Other Words From

• con·struction·al adjective
• con·struction·al·ly adverb
• precon·struction noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of construction¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin constrūctiōn-, stem of constrūctiō “placement together, building,” from constrūct(us) “put together” ( construct ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

It’s possible they might not land a high school player in the spring or summer either, largely because of their roster construction.

From Los Angeles Times

What effects will mass deportation have on the U.S. economy, what impact will it have on the cost of food and who will replace the millions of workers in industries like agriculture and construction?

From Los Angeles Times

To help cover the cost of the new construction, the city has secured more than $400 million from the state and federal governments and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times

Planes were grounded, construction work halted, and car honking discouraged as the Suneung, an eight-hour university placement exam billed as one of the toughest in the world, kicked off on Thursday.

From BBC

They are two-year vocational courses taken after GCSEs, which focus on subjects like education, construction and IT, and include a work placement that makes up roughly 20% of the course.

From BBC

Related Words

• development
• manufacture
• plan
• planning
• structure
• system