construction

The work of building things such as houses, roads, and bridges.

• Construction starts next week.
• The road is under construction.
• He has worked in construction for twenty years.

How to use it: construction of something (Construction of the bridge began in May.); under construction (The hospital is still under construction.)

Similar words: building

Opposites: demolition

Common phrases: construction work, under construction, construction site

The way something is built or put together, including its materials and parts.

• The chair has a strong construction.
• Its wooden construction keeps the boat light.
• The engineer examined the construction of the roof.

Similar words: structure, design

Common phrases: solid construction, steel construction, quality construction

A group of words arranged in a particular way to express a meaning.

• This construction is common in English.
• The book explains several passive constructions.
• Which construction best expresses your idea?

Similar words: structure

Common phrases: passive construction, grammatical construction, sentence construction

A particular way of understanding or explaining an idea, often shaped by society.

• Their construction of freedom differs from ours.
• The writer explores gender as a social construction.
• Different cultures develop different constructions of childhood.

How to use it: construction of something (The chapter explores the social construction of identity.)

Similar words: interpretation, conception

Common phrases: social construction, cultural construction, construction of meaning

Something that has been built or put together, such as a structure or model.

• A strange construction stood beside the road.
• The children made small constructions from wooden blocks.
• We admired the huge metal construction in the square.

Similar words: structure

Common phrases: wooden construction, unusual construction, large construction, complex construction