builds

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of build.

   The company builds bridges across major rivers in the region.

   Each spider builds its web according to an inherited pattern.

   Note

   One form carries the verb's whole range, with or without an object. With an object it means making, shaping or strengthening something: the company builds bridges, a team builds a reputation. Without one it means growing in size or force: the pressure builds, suspense builds. The same spelling is also the noun plural. After a subject it is the verb, and after a number or determiner (two builds) it is the noun.

   As the deadline nears, the tension in the office builds.

   She builds her argument slowly, one piece of evidence at a time.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of build.

   The team's players ranged across a variety of builds, from lean runners to heavy linemen.

   Good tailors learn to cut suits for many different builds.

   Note

   The plural turns a mass word into a count of kinds. A person can be of slender build, with no article, but once bodies are compared they become builds: lean ones, heavy ones, many different builds. Software and gaming use the plural freely. In software it means successive versions of a program in development, and in gaming slang it means the item and skill setups players design for a character.

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