con·struct
kən-ˈstrəkt 
constructed; constructing; constructs
1
2
: to draw (a geometrical figure) with suitable instruments and under specified conditions
Construct a regular hexagon with sides 3 inches long.
3
: to set in logical order
con·struct
ˈkän-ˌstrəkt
1
: something constructed by the mind: such as
a
: a theoretical entity
… the deductive study of abstract constructs …—
Daniel J. Boorstin
Daniel J. Boorstin
b
: a working hypothesis or concept
The unconscious was a construct that came from the daily effort to understand patients.
2
: a product of ideology, history, or social circumstances
Privacy is more than a social construct or an idea; it is a condition of the body.—Sallie Tisdale
Sallie Tisdale
Synonyms
Examples of construct in a Sentence
Verb
They plan to construct a barn behind the house.
The author constructs all the stories around one theme.
Construct a triangle that has sides of equal length.
Noun
He argues that time is a subjective construct with no objective existence.
Recent Examples on the WebCarolyn Giardina, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Repairs to the bridge were suggested in 2017, that year's annual report states, and satellite imagery indicates two transmission towers were constructed between 2019 and 2022, on the side of the bridge closer to Baltimore city.
—Caitlin Thompson, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
The device is constructed of 41 layers, each almost 5 inches thick, and is around 18 feet in diameter, according its website.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Team schedules will be constructed, per Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball guidelines.
—Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
Tensions between both countries flared up last fall after Haitians began constructing a canal along the Massacre River in northeast Haiti on the border.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
While there are no plans currently to construct Phoenix's own tiny home community, Pallet's CEO said the idea is not impossible.
—Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 2 Apr. 2024
But this is the only way to construct an infinite integer distance set in the plane, as Anning and Erdős realized in 1945.
—Quanta Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
When my mother was curating an enormous installation—constructed from church candles and cow bones—by Brazilian conceptual artist Cildo Meireles at MoMA, for example, feijoada brunches became a norm in our household.
—Nora Zelevansky, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2024
Carol Bresler, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024
There’s still a fair amount of time spent inside the VR game, for instance, but those scenes are much less tedious here, because Jin is the primary player, and Jess Hong makes palpable the pleasure Jin takes at being inside this bizarre virtual construct.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2024
Art Mazor, Deloitte's Global Human Capital Practice Leader, believes that to overcome the gap between knowing and doing, leaders will need to let go of the mindsets, operating constructs, and proxies of the past.
—Lindsay Kohler, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
Lauren and Jrue Holiday wanted to help and inspire others while affecting change to social and economic constructs.
—Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2024
Linking existing hardware into a network is much faster than building individual constructs in specific locations.
—Victoria Chynoweth, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Sports provides a comfortable, familiar construct in which the outcomes are unpredictable.
—Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 19 Jan. 2024
Observing the moon was probably the first way that people conceptualized this quintessentially human construct.
—Rebecca Boyle, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2024
The old ways of doctor-patient relationships will gradually give way to the new construct of doctor-AI-patient relationships.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
Verb
For launch, Goldcrest is also constructing an ADR room and offices for needs such as dailies, editing and visual effects.
—Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Repairs to the bridge were suggested in 2017, that year's annual report states, and satellite imagery indicates two transmission towers were constructed between 2019 and 2022, on the side of the bridge closer to Baltimore city.
—Caitlin Thompson, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
The device is constructed of 41 layers, each almost 5 inches thick, and is around 18 feet in diameter, according its website.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Team schedules will be constructed, per Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball guidelines.
—Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
Tensions between both countries flared up last fall after Haitians began constructing a canal along the Massacre River in northeast Haiti on the border.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
While there are no plans currently to construct Phoenix's own tiny home community, Pallet's CEO said the idea is not impossible.
—Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 2 Apr. 2024
But this is the only way to construct an infinite integer distance set in the plane, as Anning and Erdős realized in 1945.
—Quanta Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
When my mother was curating an enormous installation—constructed from church candles and cow bones—by Brazilian conceptual artist Cildo Meireles at MoMA, for example, feijoada brunches became a norm in our household.
—Nora Zelevansky, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2024
Noun
The concrete and glass structure was designed to resemble a ship, with 12 glass sails and, in a similar glass-panel construct, the watch’s case, dial, lugs and hands are made of a single 200-kilo block of sapphire.
—Carol Bresler, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024
There’s still a fair amount of time spent inside the VR game, for instance, but those scenes are much less tedious here, because Jin is the primary player, and Jess Hong makes palpable the pleasure Jin takes at being inside this bizarre virtual construct.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2024
Art Mazor, Deloitte's Global Human Capital Practice Leader, believes that to overcome the gap between knowing and doing, leaders will need to let go of the mindsets, operating constructs, and proxies of the past.
—Lindsay Kohler, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
Lauren and Jrue Holiday wanted to help and inspire others while affecting change to social and economic constructs.
—Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2024
Linking existing hardware into a network is much faster than building individual constructs in specific locations.
—Victoria Chynoweth, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Sports provides a comfortable, familiar construct in which the outcomes are unpredictable.
—Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 19 Jan. 2024
Observing the moon was probably the first way that people conceptualized this quintessentially human construct.
—Rebecca Boyle, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2024
The old ways of doctor-patient relationships will gradually give way to the new construct of doctor-AI-patient relationships.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'construct.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing construct
Dictionary Entries Near construct
Cite this Entry
“Construct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/construct. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
construct
verb
con·struct
kən-ˈstrəkt
1
: to make or form by combining or arranging parts : build
2
: to draw (a geometrical figure) with suitable instruments and under given conditions
constructable
adjective
or constructible
-ˈstrək-tə-bəl
constructor
noun
-ˈstrək-tər
Medical Definition
construct
noun
con·struct
ˈkän-ˌstrəkt
: something constructed especially by mental synthesis
form a construct of a physical object by mentally assembling and integrating sense-data
More from Merriam-Webster on construct
Nglish: Translation of construct for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of construct for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about construct
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