American Heritage Dictionary Entry: build HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key. Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window. guide to the dictionary THE USAGE PANEL The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions. The Panelists NEED HELP SOLVING A CROSSWORD PUZZLE? Go to our Crossword Puzzle Solver and type in the letters that you know, and the Solver will produce a list of possible solutions. -- AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android. THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more. OPEN DICTIONARY PROJECT Share your ideas for new words and new meanings of old words! Start Sharing Now! -- See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series! Find out more! INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES? Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com build (bĭld) Share: Tweet v. built (bĭlt), build·ing, builds v.tr. 1. To form by combining materials or parts; construct. 2. To order, finance, or supervise the construction of: The administration built several new housing projects. 3. To develop or give form to according to a plan or process; create: build a nation; built a successful business out of their corner grocery store. 4. To increase or strengthen by adding gradually to: money building interest in a savings account; build support for a political candidate. 5. To establish a basis for; found or ground: build an argument on fact. v.intr. 1. To make something by combining materials or parts. 2. To engage in the construction or design of buildings: "Each of the three architects built in a different style" (Dwight Macdonald). 3. To develop in magnitude or extent: clouds building on the horizon. 4. To progress toward a maximum, as of intensity: suspense building from the opening scene to the climax. n. 1. The physical makeup of a person or thing, especially one's physique: an athletic build. 2. Computers Any of various versions of a software product as it is being developed for release to users. Phrasal Verbs: build down To reduce or diminish, especially in a systematic numerical fashion: build down the armed forces in peace time. build in (or into) To construct or include as an integral part of: a wall with shelving that was built in; build stability into the economy. build on (or upon) To use as a basis or foundation: We must build on our recent success. build out To develop all the land available in (an area, such as a municipality). build up 1. To develop or increase in stages or by degrees: built up the business; building up my endurance for the marathon. 2. To accumulate or collect: sediment building up on the ocean floor. 3. To bolster: build up the product with a massive ad campaign; built up my hopes after the interview. 4. To fill up (an area) with buildings.Idiom: build on sand To provide with an unstable foundation: Having bought only high-risk stocks, my portfolio was built on sand. [Middle English bilden, from Old English byldan; see bheuə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices: Indo-European Roots Semitic Roots The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. 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