First Known Use: 1663
Dictionary
1construct
verb con·struct \kən-ˈstrəkt\
: to build or make (something physical, such as a road, bridge, or building)
: to make or create (something, such as a story or theory) by organizing ideas, words, etc.
mathematics : to draw (a shape) according to a set of instructions or rules
Full Definition of CONSTRUCT
transitive verb
2
: to draw (a geometrical figure) with suitable instruments and under specified conditions
3
: to set in logical order
— con·struct·abil·i·ty also con·struct·ibil·i·ty \-ˌstrək-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun
— con·struct·able or con·struct·ible \-ˈstrək-tə-bəl\ adjective
— con·struc·tor \-tər\ noun
See construct defined for English-language learners
See construct defined for kids
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Origin of CONSTRUCT
Latin constructus, past participle of construere, from com- + struere to build — more at structure
Related to CONSTRUCT
- Synonyms
- concoct, invent, contrive, cook (up), devise, drum up, excogitate, fabricate, make up, manufacture, think (up), trump up, vamp (up)
- Antonyms
- demount, disassemble, dismantle, dismember, knock down, strike, take down, tear down
2construct
noun con·struct \ˈkän-ˌstrəkt\
: something (such as an idea or a theory) that is formed in people's minds
Full Definition of CONSTRUCT
1
: something constructed by the mind: as a : a theoretical entity <the deductive study of abstract constructs — D. 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>
See construct defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of CONSTRUCT
1933
CONSTRUCT[1] Defined for Kids
construct
verb con·struct \kən-ˈstrəkt\
con·struct·edcon·struct·ing
Definition of CONSTRUCT for Kids
: to make or form by combining parts <construct a bridge>
Word Root of CONSTRUCT
The Latin word struere, meaning “to build,” and its form structus give us the root struct. Words from the Latin struere have something to do with building. A structure is something that was built, such as a house. To construct is to build by combining parts together. To obstruct is to build an obstacle that blocks a passage or path. Destruction is the process of taking apart something that was built.
Medical Dictionary
construct
noun con·struct \ˈkän-ˌstrəkt\
Medical Definition of CONSTRUCT
: something constructed especially by mental synthesis <form a construct of a physical object by mentally assembling and integrating sense-data>
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