construct

verb

con·struct | \kən-ˈstrəkt

constructed; constructing; constructs

Definition of construct

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to make or form by combining or arranging parts or elements : build construct a bridge also : contrive, devise construct a plan

2 : to draw (a geometrical figure) with suitable instruments and under specified conditions Construct a regular hexagon with sides 3 inches long.

3 : to set in logical order

construct

noun

con·struct | \ˈkän-ˌstrəkt

Definition of construct (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : something constructed by the mind: such as

a : a theoretical entity … the deductive study of abstract constructs …— Daniel J. Boorstin

b : a working hypothesis or concept The unconscious was a construct that came from the daily effort to understand patients.

2 : a product of ideology, history, or social circumstances Privacy is more than a social construct or an idea; it is a condition of the body.— Sallie Tisdale

Other Words from construct Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about construct

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Other Words from construct

Verb

constructability or less commonly constructibility \kən-ˌstrək-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē

\ noun

constructable or constructible \kən-ˈstrək-tə-bəl

\ adjective

constructor \kən-ˈstrək-tər

\ noun

Examples of construct in a Sentence

Verb

They plan to construct a barn behind the house. The author constructs all the stories around one theme. Construct a triangle that has sides of equal length.

Noun

He argues that time is a subjective construct with no objective existence.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

This 1868 lighthouse, constructed from Cream City brick, sits high above Green Bay on a bluff in Peninsula State Park, one of the state's most popular parks. — Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "8 spectacular Lake Michigan lighthouses to visit in Wisconsin," 12 July 2018 Ranchers constructed the lemon that year as a parade float entry for the July 4 Fiesta de San Diego parade, according to Lemon Grove historian Helen Ofield. — Karen Pearlman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "The Big Lemon turns 90," 10 July 2018 Even if the public were to stage a mass exodus from social media, internet companies would, if left to their own devices, construct new communication systems and media empires with similar defects. — Nicholas Carr, chicagotribune.com, "Is Facebook the problem with Facebook, or is it us?," 10 July 2018 The Olympic Village constructed in Baldwin Hills was about community, but also cost: Most athletes just couldn’t foot the bill for hotels. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Will LA’s ‘no-build’ Olympics spur Southern California’s next building boom?," 10 July 2018 Tesla hastily constructed a production tent to help the company reach its targets for the Model 3 sedan. — Tim Higgins, WSJ, "Tesla Sets New Model 3 Target of 6,000 a Week," 2 July 2018 New building at old brass factory Dubensky said that Ford could construct the new building on the site of the old Lincoln Brass Works factory, 2051 Rosa Park Blvd. — Detroit Free Press, "Ford would demolish this vacant Detroit building," 21 June 2018 Kach, 70, of Cockeysville, said his top priorities in his second term would be improving county transparency, preserving open space and constructing new buildings for Dulaney and Towson High schools. — Libby Solomon, baltimoresun.com, "Meet the council candidates in central Baltimore County," 12 June 2018 Instead, think Legos on steroids: units that can be coupled together and stacked high enough to construct an apartment building. — David Lazarus, latimes.com, "California Inc.: An 'Incredible' comeback for a Disney/Pixar franchise," 11 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The reconstruction of the urban environment which begins about then and comes to fruition in the ’90s is a New York Magazine construct. — Christopher Bonanos, Daily Intelligencer, "The Birth of New York Magazine, Told by the People Who Made It," 8 Apr. 2018 Kaia Gerber opened up the Saint Laurent Men's Spring/Summer 2019 collection wearing a bold jacket trimmed in gold, proving that a killer jacket knows no constructs. — Mekita Rivas, Teen Vogue, "Kaia Gerber Opens the Saint Laurent Spring 2019 Men's Show in NYC," 7 June 2018 Before that, the atom served as an increasingly useful hypothetical construct. — James Gleick, New York Times, "What Does Quantum Physics Actually Tell Us About the World?," 8 May 2018 But not all cultures have seen periods as a curse or a source of shame, proof that negative views of menstruation are societal constructs. — Loren Savini, Allure, "Breaking the Cycle: Meet the People Who Are Fighting to End Period Stigma," 27 June 2018 The laws of nature are not some sort of Platonic construct, separate and outside of reality. — Alexander Hellemans, Scientific American, "A Conversation with Thomas Hertog, One of Stephen Hawking’s Final Collaborators," 24 May 2018 But the draft remains this archaic construct, this way to control labor and boost up teams who either can’t or won’t pay market prices for talent. — Will Leitch, Daily Intelligencer, "The NBA Draft Is Great. It’s Also Totally Un-American.," 20 June 2018 Awareness of its constructs and confines does not equal transcendence of them. — Brian Gresko, Longreads, "Wrestling With My Father," 12 June 2018 Gender, however, is a construct; and gender roles were made to be broken. Trending Video Is Marvel Giving Us A Muslim Superhero? — Helena Yeung, Teen Vogue, "Texas Man Says He Was Denied Entry to Bar for Wearing Makeup," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'construct.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.