Skip to content

construct

verb

  1. to build or make something, such as a building
L21 on Wikidata ↗

noun

  1. ideal object, whose existence depends upon a subject's mind
L30661 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒn.stɹʌkt/ / /ˈkɑn.stɹʌkt/ / /kənˈstɹʌkt/

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from Latin cōnstrūctus, from cōnstruō (“to heap together”), from com- (“together”) + struō (“to heap up, pile”). Doublet of construe.

  1. Something constructed from parts.

    The artwork was a construct of wire and tubes.

    Loops and conditional statements are constructs in computer programming.

  2. A concept or model.

    Bohr's theoretical construct of the atom was soon superseded by quantum mechanics.

  3. A segment of nucleic acid, created artificially, for transplantation into a target cell or tissue.

verb

Etymology: Borrowed from Latin cōnstrūctus, from cōnstruō (“to heap together”), from com- (“together”) + struō (“to heap up, pile”). Doublet of construe.

  1. To build or form (something) by assembling parts.

    We constructed the radio from spares.

    A wall constructed of random stones.

  2. To build (a sentence, an argument, etc.) by arranging words or ideas.

    A sentence may be constructed with a subject, verb and object.

    The Vietnam War films are forms of memory that function to provide collective rememberings, to construct history, and to subsume within them the experience of the veterans.

  3. To draw (a geometric figure) by following precise specifications and using geometric tools and techniques.

    Construct a circle that touches each vertex of the given triangle.

    The arc of a circle may be very little, but, given that, it is possible to construct the entire figure.