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

On Friday, state and local officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Los Angeles County Care Community, which will open over the next few years in six now-vacant buildings at the state hospital. —Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026

An integration of two buildings, the Park Hyatt–Maçka Palas takes its name from the older wing. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Mar. 2026

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. —Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2026

Have the Americans and the Israelis blown up empty buildings or those with the right people inside them? —Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 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