building

noun

build·​ing ˈbil-diŋ 

1

: a usually roofed and walled structure built for permanent use (as for a dwelling)

2

: the art or business of assembling materials into a structure

Synonyms of building

• structure
• house
• edifice

Examples of building in a Sentence

My office is in that small brick building.

We bought the land for building.

Recent Examples on the Web

Options include hosting no programming, closing parts of the building to allow for limited programming or scheduling a limited series of closures around the building while a full slate of programming continues. —Bart Jansen, USA Today, 23 June 2026

The building had long-term degradation from corrosion, too. —Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 23 June 2026

Many of those affected were elderly residents or people with disabilities living on the fourth and fifth floors of the building. —Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 23 June 2026

Officers with the Boise Police Department have closed off two lanes on Front Street by the Interstate 84 Connector after a vehicle crashed into a building at the corner of 12th Street. —Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 23 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bildyng, buldyng, from bilden, buylden, bulden "to build entry 1" + -yng -ing entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing building

• apartment building
• building block
• building society
• sick building syndrome
• team building
• world-building

Rhymes for building

• gilding
• boatbuilding
• outbuilding
• rebuilding
• roadbuilding
• shipbuilding
• upbuilding
• bodybuilding

Kids Definition

building

noun

build·​ing ˈbil-diŋ 

1

: a permanent structure built as a dwelling, shelter, or place for human activity or for storage

an office building

2

: the art, work, or business of assembling materials into a structure