built

[bilt] /bɪlt/
verb
1.
simple past tense and past participle of build.
adjective
2.
Informal.
  1. of sound or sturdy construction:
    These cars are really built.
  2. having a good physique or figure:
    That lifeguard is really built!
3.
Nautical. noting any member or part of a vessel assembled from pieces:
built frame; built spar.
Related forms
well-built, adjective

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 built
  • These continue to be built the same way they have for over a century, and usually not as well.
  • Prisons were built around the noble ideas of rehabilitation.
  • The power plants, buildings, and factories being built worldwide today are based largely on burning fossil fuels such as coal.
  • View a slide show that uncovers many of the ship's mysteries, including the name of the city in which the boat was built.
  • The cistern was built more than a thousand years ago with pieces of already-ancient temples and churches.
  • He's built us some amazing decking out of all recycled materials.
  • The body of the crab is built out styrene plastic and appears to be milled.
  • Local residents seem to be of two minds about the sprawling plant being built near the river.
  • built and rebuilt with foreign aid, it looks tidy enough.
  • They are so varied in flavor and nutrition that a whole diet can be built around them.
British Dictionary definitions for built

built

/bɪlt/
verb
1.
the past tense and past participle of build

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 built
adj.

1560s, "constructed, erected," past participle adjective from build (v.). Meaning "physically well-developed" is by 1940s (well-built in reference to a woman is from 1871); Built-in (adj.) is from 1898.

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 built

built

adjective

Physically well-developed, esp in a sexually attractive way; hunky, stacked: She wasn't especially smart, but she was built


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'']


Idioms and Phrases with built

built

see:
also see under:
build

build

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