build
Noun pluralbuilds
Pluralbuilds
- 1To construct things by combining materials or parts.
Skilled masons build with remarkable speed.
The early settlers built along the riverbanks.
UsageOften with for the material and on or along for the place: build with stone, build on the land.
Similarconstruct
- 2To create, establish, or develop something, such as an organization, system, or relationship, through planned effort.
The teachers built a new science curriculum by following the state's official guidelines.
Good coaches build winning teams through years of careful planning.
UsageCommon pairings: build a team, build a business, build trust, build a relationship.
- 3To increase gradually in size, amount, strength, or intensity, or to make something increase in this way.
Athletes build endurance over months of steady training.
The author builds suspense by withholding key details.
UsageOften with up: build up strength, build up savings. Also build suspense or build momentum.
Similardevelop, increase, strengthen, heighten, boost
- 4The physique or structure of a body or object: its overall size, shape, and proportions.
The wrestler's powerful build gave him an advantage in the ring.
Engineers admired the sturdy build of the old stone bridge.
UsageOften of + adjective + build: a man of medium build. Or with an article: a powerful build.
Similarphysique, frame, figure, structure, construction
Note
In 1981 Nancy Walker wrote that Roger "had no build". Used bare like that, the word implies a strong or impressive physique, and having none means lacking one.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- In 1981 Nancy Walker wrote that Roger "had no build". en.wiktionary.org
- 5The process or time period during which a physical object is constructed.
The bridge's build lasted nearly three years.
Workers faced many delays throughout the ship's build.
Similarconstruction
Note
With kits and models it often judges the assembling rather than the result, so a Lego set can be "a very nice build" when putting it together is satisfying. Context separates it from the "physique" meaning: a nice build in a person is their frame, but in a kit it is the experience of making it.
Less common meanings
- 6A particular compiled version of a software product, usually identified by a build number, whether a development version or one released to users.
Developers pushed a new build every night for testing.
Several internal builds were rejected before the final release.
Similarversion
Note
Software teams speak of builds the way publishers speak of drafts. Each build is a compiled snapshot of the product, usually identified by a build number. Many go only to testers, reviewers or beta users, though released versions carry build numbers too. It is the noun of the compiling verb: a build is what building produces, and a prototype build can reach beta testers long before anything ships.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- In the specified compiled-software sense, a build is the output of the building process. public.dhe.ibm.com
- Build numbers identify software iterations, including released and unreleased versions. developer.apple.com
- Builds can be distributed to beta testers before publication. developer.apple.com
- 7In computing, to turn source code into a working program by compiling it, or (of code) to be compiled successfully.
Engineers build the application from source on each platform.
He built the library from source to enable the optional features.
UsagePeople build a program from source. With the code as subject, no object: the project builds cleanly.
Similarcompile
Note
In computing, building usually means more than compiling. It covers turning source code into a runnable program or package, resolving dependencies and linking components along the way.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Building software can involve steps beyond compilation, including linking and producing executable output. public.dhe.ibm.com
- Dependency handling is part of building software. docs.gradle.org
- 8In a game, especially a video game or role-playing game, a particular configuration of items, skills, and choices a player settles on for a character.
She optimized her build for high damage output.
The latest patch made several popular builds much weaker.
Similarloadout, setup, configuration
Note
This is the same gaming slang as the player-made structure, applied to a character instead of the world. Bill Slavicsek and Richard Baker's Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies (2005) describes character builds as combinations of race, class, feat and spell choices, which players debate and share. A build is usually described by what it centers on, such as attack speed or damage.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies was written by Bill Slavicsek and Richard Baker and first published in 2005. openlibrary.org
- The book describes character builds as combinations of race, class, feat and spell choices that players debate and share. en.wiktionary.org
- 9In a video game, a structure (a building, statue, pool, or forest, for example) that a player has created.
Her treehouse build won the server's weekly contest.
The server showcased the most impressive builds from each team.
Similarcreation, construction, structure
Showing meanings only.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of build apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
"Build" comes from Middle English bilden, from Old English byldan and bytlan ("to build"), from Proto-West Germanic *buþlijan. This traces back to Proto-Germanic *buþlą ("house, dwelling, farm") and ultimately to the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰuH- ("to become, grow, thrive, dwell"). It is related to Old English botl ("building, house").
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts
- Build comes from Middle English bilden. en.wiktionary.org
- Its Old English predecessors include byldan and bytlan, meaning “to build”. en.wiktionary.org
- The Old English verb derives from Proto-West Germanic *buþlijan. en.wiktionary.org
- The derivation traces back to Proto-Germanic *buþlą, meaning “house, dwelling, farm”. en.wiktionary.org
- The ultimate root is Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH-, with the stated meanings. en.wiktionary.org
- Build is related to Old English botl, meaning “building, house”. en.wiktionary.org