carpenter

1 of 2

noun

car·​pen·​ter ˈkär-pən-tər How to pronounce carpenter (audio)
ˈkär-pᵊm-tər
: a worker who builds or repairs wooden structures or their structural parts

carpenter

2 of 2

verb

carpentered; carpentering ˈkär-pən-t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce carpenter (audio)

intransitive verb

: to follow the trade of a carpenter
carpentered when he was young

transitive verb

1
: to make by or as if by carpentry
2
: to put together often in a mechanical manner
carpentered many television scripts

Examples of carpenter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
After Western contact, the architecture evolved to incorporate joinery, with techniques that came out of shipbuilding, Faulkner says, and skilled carpenters from Japan popularized pocket doors and single-wall construction. Kristina Linnea Garcia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024 Led by Firestone, West and Kennett, the group put together its hypothesis the way that contractors build a house, with masons, carpenters, plumbers, electricians and drywallers each playing distinct but complementary roles. Zach St. George, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Dean Wright Dean had repeatedly checked his brother's house in Rocklin, a Sacramento suburb, and the shop Ray rented in Rio Linda for his work as a master carpenter. Natalie Morales, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2024 The society is accepting donations for the rebuild and has also been creating a list of carpenters who have volunteered to help. USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2024 With a small team of Portuguese carpenters handling construction, work has moved slowly. Jay Cheshes, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2024 My brother, for instance, was a carpenter at the beginning of his career and then decided to become a nurse. Ryan Derousseau, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 One of eight children, Robert Leroy Hawkins was the son of Frank Hawkins, a carpenter and businessman, and Mamie Hawkins, a homemaker. Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2024 His father, George, owned 25,000 acres of land and operated large plantations in Virginia, relying on enslaved people to work as carpenters, coopers, sawyers, blacksmiths, tanners, shoemakers, spinners, weavers, knitters, distillers, cooks, laundry maids and field laborers. Sue Eisenfeld, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024
Verb
Noma’s dining room, by contrast, is meticulously carpentered together, from the peaked ceiling to the bare floor, out of sanded oak and Douglas fir. Pete Wells, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2018 The drama is something that seems to be leaking from the very forms so elaborately carpentered to contain it. Jesse Green, New York Times, 8 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carpenter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French carpenter, charpenter, from Latin carpentarius carriage maker, from carpentum carriage, of Celtic origin; akin to Old Irish carpat chariot, carr vehicle — more at car

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1815, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of carpenter was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near carpenter

Cite this Entry

“Carpenter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carpenter. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

carpenter

noun
car·​pen·​ter
ˈkär-pən-tər,
ˈkärp-ᵊm-tər
: a worker who builds or repairs wooden structures
carpenter verb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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