construction Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the act of constructing something
    building.
    • during the construction we had to take a detour
    • his hobby was the building of boats
  2. noun a group of words that form a constituent of a sentence and are considered as a single unit
    expression; grammatical construction.
    • I concluded from his awkward constructions that he was a foreigner
  3. noun the creation of a construct; the process of combining ideas into a congruous object of thought
    mental synthesis.
  4. noun a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts
    structure.
    • the structure consisted of a series of arches
    • she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons
  5. noun drawing a figure satisfying certain conditions as part of solving a problem or proving a theorem
    • the assignment was to make a construction that could be used in proving the Pythagorean theorem
  6. noun an interpretation of a text or action
    twist.
    • they put an unsympathetic construction on his conduct
  7. noun the commercial activity involved in repairing old structures or constructing new ones
    building.
    • their main business is home construction
    • workers in the building trades

WordNet

Con*struc"tion noun
Etymology
L. constructio: cf. F. construction.
Definitions
  1. The process or art of constructing; the act of building; erection; the act of devising and forming; fabrication; composition.
  2. The form or manner of building or putting together the parts of anything; structure; arrangement.
    An astrolabe of peculiar construction. Whewell.
  3. (Gram.) The arrangement and connection of words in a sentence; syntactical arrangement.
    Some particles . . . in certain constructions have the sense of a whole sentence contained in them. Locke.
  4. The method of construing, interpreting, or explaining a declaration or fact; an attributed sense or meaning; understanding; explanation; interpretation; sense.
    Any person . . . might, by the sort of construction that would be put on this act, become liable to the penalties of treason. Hallam.
    Strictly, the term [construction] signifies determining the meaning and proper effect of language by a consideration of the subject matter and attendant circumstances in connection with the words employed. Abbott.
    Interpretation properly precedes construction, but it does not go beyond the written text. Parsons.

Webster 1913