Etymology From Middle English bilden, bulden, bylden, from Old English byldan and bytlan, bytlian (“to build”), from Proto-West Germanic *buþlijan (“to build”), from Proto-Germanic *buþlą, *bōþlą (“house, dwelling, farm”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to become, grow, thrive, be, live, dwell”). Related to Old English botl (“building, house”). More at bottle. False cognate of German bilden.
To form (something) by combining materials or parts.
I built a shed in my backyard.
It was a bridge ybuilt in goodly wize, / With curious Corbes and pendants grauen faire, [...]1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, stanza 6, page 140:
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Athelstan Arundel walked home all the way, foaming and raging. No omnibus, cab, or conveyance ever built could contain a young man in such a rage. His mother lived at Pembridge Square, which is four good measured miles from Lincoln's Inn.1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 16:
A chap named Eleazir Kendrick and I had chummed in together the summer afore and built a fish-weir and shanty at Setuckit Point, down Orham way. For a spell we done pretty well.1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
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To develop or give form to (something) according to a plan or process.
He will build an organization equipped for success.
The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you [...] "share the things you love with the world" and so on. But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention.2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 27:
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To increase or strengthen (something) by adding gradually to it.
We need to build an income stream over time.
Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
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To establish a basis for (something).
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To form by combining materials or parts.
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To develop in magnitude or extent.
The tension built between the sparring sisters.
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences To construct (software) by compiling its source code.
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, SciencesOf source code To be converted into software by compilation, usually with minimal human intervention.
This code won’t build any more. Have you made any changes?
Etymology From Middle English bilden, bulden, bylden, from Old English byldan and bytlan, bytlian (“to build”), from Proto-West Germanic *buþlijan (“to build”), from Proto-Germanic *buþlą, *bōþlą (“house, dwelling, farm”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to become, grow, thrive, be, live, dwell”). Related to Old English botl (“building, house”). More at bottle. False cognate of German bilden.
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The physique of a human or animal body, or other object; constitution or structure.
Rugby players are of sturdy build.
According to the prevailing adolescent criteria Roger was not good looking. He had no build and did not give off very assertive, let alone aggressive vibrations.1981 February 7, Nancy Walker, “A Gentle Guy”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 28, page 13:
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One of the most general underwriting factors is the build of the applicant. All the insurers include build as an underwriting factor although only 18 of the 22 submitted the actual build tables. Table 9-1 shows a typical build table, which categorizes according to height, weight, and sex. The table lists average weights for each height, various ranges of weights, and the numerical rating debits or credits at the bottom of each chart column.1983, J. David Cummins, Barry D. Smith, R. Neil Vance, Jack L. VanDerhei, Risk Classification in Life Insurance (Huebner International Series on Risk, Insurance, and Economic Security; 1), Dordrecht: Springer, →DOI, →ISBN, page 132:
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Any of various versions of a software product as it is being developed for release to users.
The computer company has introduced a new prototype build to beta testers.
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The process or period of constructing a physical object.
This new Lego set was a very nice build.
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Games, GamingSlang A structure, such as a building, statue, pool or forest created by the player.
I made a build that looked like the Parthenon in that game.
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Games, GamingSlang A configuration of a character's items or skills created by the player.
I made a build centered around attack speed.
In fact, thousands of D&D players constantly debate the virtues of various character builds (combinations of race, class, feat, and spell choices) and share their efforts with each other in hundreds of message boards and mailing lists.2005, Bill Slavicsek, Richard Baker, Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies, page 279:
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Lower levels often mean higher stakes, with characters lacking the inflated health pools and superhuman abilities of endgame builds.2025 February 23, Ted Litchfield, “Finding a Path”, in PC Gamer (US), number 392, page 10: