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Definition of complex noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

      

    complex

     noun
    noun
    NAmE//ˈkɑmplɛks//
     
     
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  1. 1a group of buildings of a similar type together in one place a sports complex an industrial complex (= a site with many factories) Thesaurusbuilding
    • property
    • premises
    • complex
    • structure
    These are all words for a structure such as a house, school, or factory that has a roof and four walls.
    • building a structure such as a house, school, or factory that has a roof and four walls
    • property a building or buildings and the surrounding land; land and buildings:We have a buyer who would like to view the property. Property values have risen enormously. This word is often used when talking about buying/selling houses or other buildings and land.
    • premises [pl.] (formal) the building or buildings and surrounding land that a business or person owns or uses:The police searched the premises.
    • complex a group of buildings of a similar type together in one place:an apartment complex
    • structure a thing that is made of several parts, especially a building:The pier is a wooden structure.
    Patterns
    • (a/an) commercial/industrial/residential building/property/premises/complex
    • an apartment building/complex
    • a/the school building/premises
    • to build a property/complex/structure
    • to put up a building/property/structure
    • to demolish/knock down a building/property/complex/structure
  2. 2a group of things that are connected This is just one of a whole complex of issues.
  3. 3(especially in compounds) a mental state that is not normal to suffer from a guilt complex see inferiority complex, Oedipus complex, persecution complex
  4. 4if someone has a complex about something, they are worried about it in way that is not normal Don't mention her weight—she has a complex about it.
See complex in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary