Definition of 'building'

Word Frequency

building

(bɪldɪŋ )

Word forms: plural buildings

countable noun

A building is a structure that has a roof and walls, for example a house or a factory.

They were on the upper floor of the building.

Crowds gathered around the Parliament building.

Synonyms: structure, house, construction, dwelling [formal, literary] More Synonyms of building

Video: pronunciation of 'building'

Word Frequency

building in British

(ˈbɪldɪŋ )

noun

something built with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory

the act, business, occupation, or art of building houses, boats, etc

Word Frequency

building in American

(ˈbɪldɪŋ ; bilˈdiŋ)

noun

anything that is built with walls and a roof, as a house or factory; structure

the act, process, work, or business of constructing houses, ships, etc.

SYNONYMY NOTE: building is the general term applied to a fixed structure in which people dwell, work, etc.; , edifice implies a large or stately building and is sometimes used figuratively [the edifice of democracy]; structure also suggests an imposing building, but has special application when the material of construction is being stressed [a steel structure]; pile1 is applied in poetry and lofty prose to a very large building or mass of buildings

Example sentences containing 'building'

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About half of the apartments in the building have been sold. Times, Sunday Times (2016)He was expelled after selling lead stolen from the roofs of school buildings. Times, Sunday Times (2017)All but one of the 19 apartments in the building exchanged within eight months of its launch. Times, Sunday Times (2017)The soon-to-be fugitive rented the apartment at the furthest end of the top floor of the building. Times, Sunday Times (2017)Sadly, many of the sites she finds appear to be neglected and covered in stray cats or buried beneath apartment buildings and football stadiums. Times, Sunday Times (2017)The master suite is on one side of the house, mixing the exposed concrete that forms the core of the building with wooden floors. Times, Sunday Times (2016)We had the restaurant on the ground floor and the building became available upstairs. Times, Sunday Times (2010)Why not allow the building of houses within green belt areas and green up those brownfield sites? Times, Sunday Times (2013)We climbed on to the roof of a building the other day. The Sun (2012)It was as high as an apartment building and as long as a city block. Len Deighton BomberWhy did anyone think building something this complex and difficult was a good investment? Times, Sunday Times (2011)There are a number of examples of listed buildings that have been converted for residential use. Times, Sunday Times (2015)They are important for the majority of metabolic processes and for the building of body structure. Martlew, Gillian & Silver, Shelley (ed) The Medicine Chest - your family's guide to prescription drugs (1988)He died a mile closer to his house on a building site. The Sun (2015)They mention family members being on the roofs of different buildings and waving at each other. Times, Sunday Times (2011)It should be the building blocks towards something permanent. The Sun (2008)It does not plan to change the structure of the building. Times, Sunday Times (2013)There is little evidence to suggest that occupiers will pay more rent for environmentally friendly offices and factory buildings. Times, Sunday Times (2007)Sometimes an ancient building that has existed for thousands of years gets in the way of a road and it just disappears. Times, Sunday Times (2008)He would have to sleep rough on the floor of abandoned buildings or in trenches and hope he did not get hit. Times, Sunday Times (2012)Instead, he has kept the ancient building as the village local. Times, Sunday Times (2007)Take the treatment of buildings, for example. The Times Literary Supplement (2013)Art classes cover landscape painting, botanical illustration and sketching ancient buildings and modern architecture. Times, Sunday Times (2010)You smell it before you see it, a grim factory building that speaks of industry and graft and dark winters. Times, Sunday Times (2013)They each own flats in the same apartment building, for example, but are said to use different lifts to avoid seeing each other. Times, Sunday Times (2009)