construction

noun

con·struc·tion | \ kən-ˈstrək-shən

Definition of construction

1 : the act or result of construing, interpreting, or explaining

2a : the process, art, or manner of constructing something Construction of the new bridge will begin in the spring. also : a thing constructed

b : the construction industry working in construction

3 : the arrangement and connection of words or groups of words in a sentence : syntactical arrangement That verb is often used in passive constructions.

4 : a sculpture that is put together out of separate pieces of often disparate materials

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Examples of construction in a Sentence

Construction of the new bridge will begin in the spring. Construction on the bridge will occur daily from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. Note the similar construction of the buildings. Some people think it is wrong to end a sentence with a preposition, but the construction is quite common in English. That verb is commonly used in passive constructions. This word is used in positive constructions.

Recent Examples on the Web

The construction will close southbound M-10 at its intersection with I-94 from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. — Emma Keith, Detroit Free Press, "M-10 Lodge Freeway in Detroit to close this weekend at I-94," 5 June 2019 Hill, who is also a senior executive at the lead consulting firm WSP, signed a $51-million change order for the construction team led by the Spanish firm Dragados. — Andrew O'reilly | Fox News, Fox News, "Top California high-speed rail executive under investigation in ethics probe," 5 June 2019 McDermott said its initial share of the engineering and construction contract is $2 billion. — Jordan Blum, Houston Chronicle, "McDermott JV wins construction contract for Mozambique LNG," 5 June 2019 Through the months of his free agency, the conversation increasingly focused on external topics: the problems with the current market, or the value of a draft pick, or the prevailing trends in ‘pen construction. — SI.com, "Long Time Coming: Craig Kimbrel Joins Cubs After Lengthy Free Agency Stint," 5 June 2019 Take on some of the labor Mortillaro once worked in construction and has the skills to undertake many of the renovations, which lowered costs. — Aimee Picchi, USA TODAY, "Worried that popcorn ceiling is hiding bigger problems? Here's how to renovate on a budget," 5 June 2019 Two senior construction inspector positions to respond to safety issues and resident complaints. — Jessica Boehm, azcentral, "Phoenix City Council to cut property tax rate, but most residents will pay more," 5 June 2019 Over a period of decades, controlled burning and fire-wise construction should dramatically reduce the impact of blazes on settlements across the West. — Marc Peruzzi, Outside Online, "Wildfire Smoke Is Here to Stay," 5 June 2019 Use of the law requires a declaration of emergency, similar to the one declared by Trump to justify spending money on border wall construction with funds not appropriated by Congress for that purpose. — Washington Post, "Use of emergency declaration to impose tariffs on Mexico is legally questionable, scholars say," 5 June 2019

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

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Last Updated

8 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for construction

The first known use of construction was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for construction

construction

noun

English Language Learners Definition of construction

: the act or process of building something (such as a house or road)

: the business of building things (such as houses or roads)

: the way something is built or made

See the full definition for construction in the English Language Learners Dictionary

construction

noun

con·struc·tion | \ kən-ˈstrək-shən

Kids Definition of construction

1 : the process, art, or manner of building something

2 : something built or put together : structure a flimsy construction

3 : the arrangement of words and the relationship between words in a sentence

construction

noun

con·struc·tion | \ kən-ˈstrək-shən

Legal Definition of construction

: the act or result of construing, interpreting, or explaining meaning or effect (as of a statute or contract) the construction placed upon an agreement— J. D. Calamari and J. M. Perillo