building

[bil-ding] /ˈbɪl dɪŋ/
noun
1.
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.
2.
anything built or constructed.
3.
the act, business, or practice of constructing houses, office buildings, etc.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English byldinge. See build, -ing1
Related forms
buildingless, adjective
underbuilding, noun
Synonyms
1. 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.

build

[bild] /bɪld/
verb (used with object), built or (Archaic) builded; building.
1.
to construct (especially something complex) by assembling and joining parts or materials:
to build a house.
2.
to establish, increase, or strengthen (often followed by up):
to build a business; to build up one's hopes.
3.
to mold, form, or create:
to build boys into men.
4.
to base; found:
a relationship built on trust.
5.
Games.
  1. to make (words) from letters.
  2. to assemble (cards) according to number, suit, etc., as in melding.
verb (used without object), built or (Archaic) builded; building.
6.
to engage in the art, practice, or business of building.
7.
to form or construct a plan, system of thought, etc. (usually followed by on or upon):
He built on the philosophies of the past.
8.
to increase or develop toward a maximum, as of intensity, tempo, or magnitude (often followed by up):
The drama builds steadily toward a climax.
noun
9.
the physical structure, especially of a person; physique; figure:
He had a strong build.
10.
the manner or form of construction:
The house was of modern build.
11.
Computers.
  1. a version of a program after compilation, typically an update to an existing version made before the program is released.
  2. the process of producing a software build.
  3. a new version or update of data in a database or on a website:
    frequent, incremental builds of data.
12.
Masonry.
  1. a vertical joint.
  2. the vertical dimension of a stone laid on its bed.
Verb phrases
13.
build in/into, to build or incorporate as part of something else:
to build in bookcases between the windows; an allowance for travel expenses built into the budget.
14.
build up,
  1. to develop or increase:
    to build up a bank account.
  2. to strengthen.
  3. to prepare in stages.
  4. to fill in with houses; develop into an urban area.
  5. to praise or flatter.
Origin
before 1150; Middle English bilden, Old English byldan, derivative of bold, variant of botl dwelling, house
Related forms
buildable, adjective
misbuild, verb, misbuilt, misbuilding.
outbuild, verb (used with object), outbuilt, outbuilding.
prebuild, verb (used with object), prebuilt, prebuilding.
superbuild, verb, superbuilt, superbuilding.
unbuildable, adjective
underbuild, verb, underbuilt, underbuilding.
Can be confused
billed, build.
Examples from the web for building
  • Construction of the building that will house the new college began last month.
  • The building was constructed so that students' rooms can be air-conditioned at some point in the future.
  • It constructed models of the building to give the subcontractors a chance to practice.
  • building for the web today is a lot easier than it was before content management systems.
  • Eco-friendly building incorporates a wide variety of concepts and strategies during the design and construction process.
  • Imagine back then, when this fine building was surrounded by humble wattle-and-daub huts.
  • But the process of building the new garden turned into an adventure with a few unforeseen twists.
  • In a rainy situation, you made need to start by building a small structure that will protect the fire.
  • building a green home means reducing your home's impact on the environment.
  • The chemical building blocks that make plastics so versatile are the same components that might harm people and the environment.
British Dictionary definitions for building

building

/ˈbɪldɪŋ/
noun
1.
something built with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory
2.
the act, business, occupation, or art of building houses, boats, etc

build

/bɪld/
verb builds, building, built
1.
to make, construct, or form by joining parts or materials: to build a house
2.
(intransitive) to be a builder by profession
3.
(transitive) to order the building of: the government builds most of our hospitals
4.
foll by on or upon. to base; found: his theory was not built on facts
5.
(transitive) to establish and develop: it took ten years to build a business
6.
(transitive) to make in a particular way or for a particular purpose: the car was not built for speed
7.
(intransitive) often foll by up. to increase in intensity: the wind was building
8.
(cards)
  1. to add cards to each other to form (a sequence or set)
  2. (intransitive) to add to the layout of cards on the table from one's hand
noun
9.
physical form, figure, or proportions: a man with an athletic build
See also build in, build into, build up
Word Origin
Old English byldan; related to bylda farmer, bold building, Old Norse bōl farm, dwelling; see bower1
Word Origin and History for building
n.

"a structure," c.1300, verbal noun from build (v.).

build

v.

late Old English byldan "construct a house," verb form of bold "house," from Proto-Germanic *buthlam (cf. Old Saxon bodl, Old Frisian bodel "building, house"), from PIE *bhu- "to dwell," from root *bheue- "to be, exist, grow" (see be). Rare in Old English; in Middle English it won out over more common Old English timbran (see timber). Modern spelling is unexplained. Figurative use from mid-15c. Of physical things other than buildings from late 16c. Related: Builded (archaic); built; building.

In the United States, this verb is used with much more latitude than in England. There, as Fennimore Cooper puts it, everything is BUILT. The priest BUILDS up a flock; the speculator a fortune; the lawyer a reputation; the landlord a town; and the tailor, as in England, BUILDS up a suit of clothes. A fire is BUILT instead of made, and the expression is even extended to individuals, to be BUILT being used with the meaning of formed. [Farmer, "Slang and Its Analogues," 1890]

n.

"style of construction," 1660s, from build (v.). Earlier in this sense was built (1610s). Meaning "physical construction and fitness of a person" attested by 1981. Earliest sense, now obsolete, was "a building" (early 14c.).

Slang definitions & phrases for building

build

noun
  1. One's physique, esp one's figure or shape; bod: a husky build/ sexy build (1850s+)
  2. A show whose earnings continue to increase: The revue was a build once word-of-mouth took hold (1950s+ Theater)
  3. : It's been a long build, but we can make our move now
verb

To prepare someone for swindling, extortion, etc; SET someone UP (1920s+ Underworld)

[first noun sense perhaps influenced by earlier build, ''the look and shape of tailored clothing'']


building in the Bible

among the Jews was suited to the climate and conditions of the country. They probably adopted the kind of architecture for their dwellings which they found already existing when they entered Canaan (Deut. 6:10; Num. 13:19). Phoenician artists (2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Kings 5:6, 18) assisted at the erection of the royal palace and the temple at Jerusalem. Foreigners also assisted at the restoration of the temple after the Exile (Ezra 3:7). In Gen. 11:3, 9, we have the first recorded instance of the erection of buildings. The cities of the plain of Shinar were founded by the descendants of Shem (10:11, 12, 22). The Israelites were by occupation shepherds and dwellers in tents (Gen. 47:3); but from the time of their entering Canaan they became dwellers in towns, and in houses built of the native limestone of Palestine. Much building was carried on in Solomon's time. Besides the buildings he completed at Jerusalem, he also built Baalath and Tadmor (1 Kings 9:15, 24). Many of the kings of Israel and Judah were engaged in erecting various buildings. Herod and his sons and successors restored the temple, and built fortifications and other structures of great magnificence in Jerusalem (Luke 21:5). The instruments used in building are mentioned as the plumb-line (Amos 7:7), the measuring-reed (Ezek. 40:3), and the saw (1 Kings 7:9). Believers are "God's building" (1 Cor. 3:9); and heaven is called "a building of God" (2 Cor. 5:1). Christ is the only foundation of his church (1 Cor. 3:10-12), of which he also is the builder (Matt. 16:18).

Idioms and Phrases with building

build

also see:
light (build) a fire under
also see under:
built