construct

1 of 2

verb

con·​struct kən-ˈstrəkt How to pronounce construct (audio)
constructed; constructing; constructs

transitive verb

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
constructability noun
or less commonly constructibility
constructable adjective
or constructible
constructor noun

construct

2 of 2

noun

con·​struct ˈkän-ˌstrəkt How to pronounce construct (audio)
1
: something constructed by the mind: such as
a
: a theoretical entity
… the deductive study of abstract constructsDaniel 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

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
How much is captured reality in the documentary and how much is constructed? Pino Gagliardi, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2023 Every scene is well constructed, and pays off with either a laugh or a jump-scare. Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023 To shoot the films, the director had constructed a vast mock-up of a fictional Soviet research center in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and populated it, Truman Show-like, with thousands of extras who lived there around the clock for years. Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Nov. 2023 The building was constructed mostly out of stone, glass and wood, Arkansas State Parks Director Shea Lewis said. Tony Holt, arkansasonline.com, 29 Nov. 2023 College Gardens was constructed in the late 1960s and early 1970s on what had been a large swath of farmland. Jillian Atelsek, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023 The base was constructed in the 1960s, when West Germany’s Army was rebuilding under Allied supervision during the Cold War. Christopher F. Schuetze, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2023 It’s constructed from alternating thin films of hafnium oxide (HfO2) and glass sitting on top of a silver reflective layer. Sid Assawaworrarit, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Nov. 2023 In contrast to costly and delayed public projects, like California's high-speed rail, Brightline constructed its initial service between West Palm and Miami in just four years, on an existing freight line. Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2023
Noun
So the next book is about race more as an economic construct. Rachel Hatzipanagos, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023 Conversation > Nazism and Communism are POLITICAL constructs and not religions although apparently the Pope in effect forgave the acts of Nazis against Jews to hope that Catholics would not be so treated. Karla Adam, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2023 An artificial interstellar object could potentially be a parent craft that releases many small probes during its close passage to Earth, an operational construct not too dissimilar from NASA missions. Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 16 Aug. 2023 Tying compensation terms to subscriber engagement levels is a new economic construct for a WGA contract, one that reflects the larger changes driven by streaming. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 11 Oct. 2023 Apparently, this vote is gonna just either further divide within the Republican construct in the House. Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2023 Jackson may not live in Los Angeles anymore, but her memories of these dead-end streets provided a surprising inroad into how intimacy is still a very abstract construct. Ikechúkwú Onyewuenyi, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2023 Native Hawaiians believe that timelines are a very Western construct, and the best thing for you will happen to you at the best time. Annie Daly, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Sep. 2023 But with each seemingly harmless makeover from her new friend Hazel, Nella loses pieces of herself, as she’s slowly molded into a more refined corporate construct — one more like Hazel. Breanna Bell, Variety, 14 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'construct.' 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

Verb and Noun

Latin constructus, past participle of construere, from com- + struere to build — more at structure

First Known Use

Verb

1663, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1933, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of construct was in 1663

Dictionary Entries Near construct

Cite this Entry

“Construct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/construct. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

construct

verb
con·​struct
kən-ˈstrəkt
1
: to make or form by combining or arranging parts : build
2
: to draw (a geometrical figure) with suitable instruments and under given conditions
constructable adjective
or constructible
-ˈstrək-tə-bəl
constructor
-ˈstrək-tər
noun

Medical Definition

construct

noun
con·​struct ˈkän-ˌstrəkt How to pronounce construct (audio)
: something constructed especially by mental synthesis
form a construct of a physical object by mentally assembling and integrating sense-data

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