1
as in tower
a large, magnificent, or massive building
the U.S. Capitol is one of our nation's most impressive edifices
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2
as in building
something built as a dwelling, shelter, or place for human activity
the first edifices built by the colonists were primitive huts with walls of dried mud and roofs covered with thatch
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3
as in structure
the arrangement of parts that gives something its basic form
the edifice of the argument is quite simple, once you get past the fancy language
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Examples of edifice in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When the real-estate market cracked, the value of the underlying mortgage securities collapsed, and the whole edifice came tumbling down, eventually prompting a taxpayer bailout.
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John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
If the plan succeeds, this will be a Games full of picturesque views at nearly every venue, a postcard kind of majesty made to seem simple by leaning into the classic beauty of long-standing edifices.
—Jerry Brewer, Washington Post, 24 July 2024
By Adam Robb July 25, 2024 6:50 AM EDT
At the end of World War II, Western allies feared that razing the largest German Army bunker in Hamburg, a hulking concrete edifice that doubled as an anti-aircraft tower and civilian shelter, might risk destroying the surrounding St. Pauli neighborhood.
—Adam Robb, TIME, 25 July 2024
So many of the magnificent edifices of government and education in Britain were built on this loot.
—Abraham Verghese, Travel + Leisure, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for edifice 
John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
If the plan succeeds, this will be a Games full of picturesque views at nearly every venue, a postcard kind of majesty made to seem simple by leaning into the classic beauty of long-standing edifices.
—Jerry Brewer, Washington Post, 24 July 2024
By Adam Robb July 25, 2024 6:50 AM EDT
At the end of World War II, Western allies feared that razing the largest German Army bunker in Hamburg, a hulking concrete edifice that doubled as an anti-aircraft tower and civilian shelter, might risk destroying the surrounding St. Pauli neighborhood.
—Adam Robb, TIME, 25 July 2024
So many of the magnificent edifices of government and education in Britain were built on this loot.
—Abraham Verghese, Travel + Leisure, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for edifice
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'edifice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Edifice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/edifice. Accessed 22 Oct. 2024.
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