build

The word “build” means to make something by putting materials or parts together according to a plan. In plain terms, to construct something, or to steadily increase it — also used for a person's physique or a version of software.

“Build” is pronounced bihld (/bɪld/ in IPA).

Here is “build” used in a sentence: “The company is building a factory just outside town.”

Words with a similar meaning to “build” include artifice, betimber, assemble, compile, edify and extruct.

The opposite of “build” — its antonyms — are demolish, ruin, destroy, wreck and decrease.

Depending on how it is used, “build” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “build” comes from Old English. From Old English byldan/bytlian, "to build," ultimately from a Germanic root meaning "house, dwelling.".

“Build” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

The two are close synonyms. Build is the everyday word and applies broadly, from a house to a sandcastle to a relationship. Construct is more formal and technical, favoured for engineering and careful assembly, such as constructing a bridge. You would build trust, but engineers construct a motorway.

Make is the general word for creating anything, including things with no parts, such as making a cup of tea or making a noise. Build specifically means putting parts or materials together into a structure, usually to a plan. You build a shed or a website, but you make a meal.

The main opposites are demolish, destroy, and tear down, all meaning to take a structure apart or reduce it to rubble. Dismantle is a gentler opposite, meaning to take something to pieces carefully, often so it can be moved or reassembled elsewhere rather than wrecked.

Constructing a house from bricks, timber, and cement is a clear example of building, since it assembles materials to a plan. The word stretches beyond physical structures too, as you can build a business, build a team, or build software, all by putting the necessary parts together step by step.