DictionaryAI

building

BIL-ding/ˈbɪl.dɪŋ/

Pluralbuildings

4 meanings of building

Practice

  1. 1
    structurenouncountable
    A closed standing structure with walls and a roof, such as a house or office.

    The old brick building on the corner is being converted into apartments.

    Firefighters cleared everyone out of the burning building.

    UsageOften after a describing noun: apartment building, school buildings, office building.

    Similaredifice

  2. 2
    constructing nowverb
    Present participle and gerund of build.

    Crews are building a bridge across the river.

    Building a strong foundation takes patience.

    UsageAs a verb form it takes its object directly: building a bridge. The noun names what is built with of: the building of a bridge.

    Note

    The -ing form does two jobs. With be it makes the progressive, both transitive and intransitive: crews are building a bridge, and pressure is building. As a gerund it acts as a verbal noun but can still take a direct object, as in building a strong foundation.

  3. 3
    construction worknoununcountable
    The act or process of constructing something, such as a house or other structure.

    The building of the dam required thousands of workers over a decade.

    Modern building relies heavily on steel and concrete.

    UsageOften the building of + what is made: the building of the dam. In the plural, buildings are the structures themselves.

    Similarconstruction

    Oppositedemolition, destruction

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    noun
    In the study of algebraic groups, a geometric structure assembled from flat pieces that captures a group's combinatorial symmetry; also called a Tits building.

building is a form of build

build, verb: To construct things by combining materials or parts. Full entry

Forms
buildbuilds he/she/itbuilding -ing formbuilt past tense, past participle
Spelling
build → building: add -ing

Use it in a sentence

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Origins

Meanings 1, 3

Built from 'build' + '-ing', it was spelled byldynge and in related ways in Middle English. The related Middle English 'bold' (edifice, castle, mansion) is worth comparing; it came from Old English 'bold' (building, dwelling, house).

Meaning 2

From Middle English beeldynge, equivalent to 'build' + '-ing'.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts