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Definition of construction noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

construction

noun
 OPAL W
 
/kənˈstrʌkʃn/
 
/kənˈstrʌkʃn/
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    of roads/buildings

  1.  
     [uncountable] the process or method of building or making something, especially roads, buildings, bridges, etc.
    • Construction began this year and will take approximately 18 months.
    • the costs of road construction and maintenance
    • Work has begun on the construction of the new airport.
    • the construction of a new database
    • under construction Our new offices are still under construction (= being built).
    • during construction Ethernet cabling was installed during construction.
    • the construction industry
    • construction work/workers
    • a construction company/firm
    • construction projects/costs/materials
    Wordfinder
    Extra Examples
    • Construction of the new road has now been completed.
    • Major engineering challenges will be faced during construction.
    • The drainage system needs careful construction.
    • the heavy construction industry
    Topics Buildingsb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • large
    • massive
    • basic
    • …
    verb + construction
    • begin
    • start
    • complete
    • …
    construction + verb
    • be underway
    construction + noun
    • industry
    • market
    • sector
    • …
    preposition
    • during (the) construction
    • under construction
    See full entry
  2. [uncountable] the people and activities involved in making buildings
    • 50 000 more jobs will go from construction in the next five years.
  3.  
     [uncountable, singular] the way that something has been built or made
    • The bridges are similar in construction.
    • ships of steel construction
    • It has a basic construction of brick under a tiled roof.
    Synonyms structurestructureframework ▪ form ▪ composition ▪ construction ▪ fabricThese are all words for the way the different parts of something combine together or the way that something has been made.structure the way in which the parts of something are connected together or arranged; a particular arrangement of parts:
    • the structure of the building/​human body
    • the social structure of society
    • the grammatical structures of a language
    • a salary structure
    framework a set of beliefs, ideas or rules that forms the basis of a system or society:
    • The report provides a framework for further research.
    form [U] the arrangement of parts in a whole, especially in a work of art or piece of writing:
    • As a photographer, shape and form were more important to him than colour.
    composition [U] (rather formal) the different parts or people that combine to form something; the way in which they combine:
    • recent changes in the composition of the workforce
    construction [U] the way that something has been built or made:
    • ships of steel construction
    fabric (rather formal) the basic structure of a society or an organization that enables it to function successfully:
    • This is a trend which threatens the very fabric of society.
    Patterns
    • the basic structure/​framework/​form/​composition/​construction/​fabric of something
    • a simple/​complex structure/​framework/​form
    • the economic/​political/​social structure/​framework/​composition/​fabric of something
    • the chemical/​genetic structure/​composition of something
    Extra Examples
    • The earliest Greek temples were small buildings, simple in construction.
    • walls of solid construction
    • a schoolhouse of brick construction
    Topics Buildingsb2

    4. building/structure

  4. [countable] (formal) a thing that has been built or made
    • The summer house was a simple wooden construction.
    Extra Examples
    • a massive steel construction
    • a two-storey brick construction
    • massive constructions of bamboo and paper
    Topics Buildingsb2

    5. grammar

  5. [countable] the way in which words are used together and arranged to form a sentence, phrase, etc.
    • grammatical constructions
    6.

    of theory, etc.

  6. [uncountable, countable] the creating of something from ideas, opinions and knowledge
    • the construction of a new theory
    • changes in the social construction of marriage
    7.

    meaning

  7. [countable] (formal) the way in which words, actions, statements, etc. are understood by somebody synonym interpretation
    • What construction do you put on this letter (= what do you think it means)?
    • ruling on the proper construction to be given to section 78 of the Act
    • a strict construction of the clause
    8. Word Originlate Middle English: via Old French from Latin constructio(n-), from construere ‘heap together’, from con- ‘together’ + struere ‘pile, build’.
See construction in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee construction in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: construction

Nearby words

given
adjective
 
 
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