construct
verb
con·struct
| \ kən-ˈstrəkt
\
\
constructed;
constructing;
constructs
Definition of construct
(Entry 1 of 2)
2
: to draw (a geometrical figure) with suitable instruments and under specified conditions
Construct a regular hexagon with sides 3 inches long.
3
: to set in logical order
construct
noun
con·struct
| \ ˈkän-ˌstrəkt
\
\
Definition of construct (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: something constructed by the mind: such as
a
: a theoretical entity
… the deductive study of abstract constructs …— Daniel 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
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Other Words from construct
Verb
constructability
or less commonly constructibility \ kən-ˌstrək-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē
\
noun
\
noun
constructable
or constructible \ kən-ˈstrək-tə-bəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
constructor
\ kən-ˈstrək-tər
\
noun
\
noun
Synonyms for construct
Synonyms: Verb
concoct, contrive, cook (up), devise, drum up, excogitate, fabricate, invent, make up, manufacture, think (up), trump up, vamp (up)
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Examples of construct in a Sentence
Verb
They plan to construct a barn behind the house. The author constructs all the stories around one theme. Construct a triangle that has sides of equal length.Noun
He argues that time is a subjective construct with no objective existence.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The wood will be desalinated for preservation and then examined closely for things like cut marks, engravings and other signs of the ancient people who constructed it millennia ago. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "An 8,000-Year-Old Platform in Britain Could Be the Oldest Boat-Building Site Ever Discovered," 27 Aug. 2019 The bottom line for workers has, if anything, improved faster than the administration's forecasts constructed during the tax debate. — Kevin Hassett For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "Former White House chief economist: The case for the Trump economy," 26 Aug. 2019 The city maintains nearly 200 miles of underground pipeline, the majority of it constructed before 1965. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "El Cajon residents to see 14 percent sewer rate hike," 21 Aug. 2019 But the fish lost access to those spawning grounds after the federal government constructed Shasta and Keswick dams on the upper Sacramento River in the 1940s. — Los Angeles Times, "A report shows Trump’s water plan would hurt California salmon. The government hid it," 21 Aug. 2019 The outstanding difference is that Aboriginal oral traditions constructed narratives and memory spaces in such a way as to keep the critical information intact through hundreds of generations. — Simon Cropper, Quartz, "Why do different cultures see such similar meanings in the stars?," 21 Aug. 2019 All of which begs a critical question: Is the Rockies’ current lineup constructed to consistently win at Coors Field? — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, "With baseball amid a historic power surge, the Rockies find themselves behind the home run curve," 18 Aug. 2019 Make your way toward Eivissa Castle, perched on Dalt Vila’s highest peak; this UNESCO site, constructed over a thousand-year period, includes the former governor’s residence, military barracks, and gatehouse tower. — National Geographic, "Ibiza beyond the clubs: 10 can’t-miss experiences," 16 Aug. 2019 The designs are doctor-approved, constructed based on feedback from Lim and his hospital co-workers, and each piece on the website is named after a family member. — Ada Tseng, Daily Pilot, "Leukemia survivor designs scrubs to give back to medical community, raise awareness for bone marrow registry," 16 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
My mind touches daily on the work done in that room—on the lens that Morrison made for examining constructs of blackness in the American imagination. — Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, "The Indelible Substance of a Semester with Toni Morrison," 7 Aug. 2019 Camci-Unal hopes that one day the material could be mixed with a patient’s own cells and applied to a 3D construct to grow into an implant of the correct shape and size. — Emily Matchar, Smithsonian, "How Scientists Are Using Eggshells to Grow New Bone," 18 July 2019 The only truth to emerge is that truth itself is a construct of the conflicting interests of politicians, the entitled, the disenfranchised, the media, the guilty, and the innocent. — Peter Keough, BostonGlobe.com, "In Focus: Some truth about true crime," 11 July 2019 My choice to identify as non-binary is used to constantly disrupt gender constructs and gender norms. — Essence, "Indya Moore Makes History At Essence Festival 2019," 7 July 2019 Kingsbury’s offense will spread it out and move quickly, an ideal construct for a do-it-all running back who can break big plays on the ground and through the air. — Michael Beller, SI.com, "Fantasy Football: David Johnson, Kenyan Drake Among Early 2019 Bounceback Candidates," 14 June 2019 However, both are social constructs used to categorize and characterize seemingly distinct populations. — Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, "Race and ethnicity: How are they different?," 12 June 2019 So what would an alternative construct look like, a new philosophy of knowledge to inform our politics for these troubled times? — R.c., The Economist, "The political nausea when feelings replace facts," 21 June 2019 Regardless, the lost coat, a physical object, couldn’t offer clarity about my identity, a personal construct. — Aram Mrjoian, Longreads, "Bearing the Weight of My Grandfathers’ Old Clothes," 15 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'construct.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for construct
construct
verb
English Language Learners Definition of construct
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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.