Search Result for "construction": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (7)

1. the act of constructing something;
- Example: "during the construction we had to take a detour"
- Example: "his hobby was the building of boats"
[syn: construction, building]

2. a group of words that form a constituent of a sentence and are considered as a single unit;
- Example: "I concluded from his awkward constructions that he was a foreigner"
[syn: construction, grammatical construction, expression]

3. the creation of a construct; the process of combining ideas into a congruous object of thought;
[syn: construction, mental synthesis]

4. a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts;
- Example: "the structure consisted of a series of arches"
- Example: "she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons"
[syn: structure, construction]

5. drawing a figure satisfying certain conditions as part of solving a problem or proving a theorem;
- Example: "the assignment was to make a construction that could be used in proving the Pythagorean theorem"

6. an interpretation of a text or action;
- Example: "they put an unsympathetic construction on his conduct"
[syn: construction, twist]

7. the commercial activity involved in repairing old structures or constructing new ones;
- Example: "their main business is home construction"
- Example: "workers in the building trades"
[syn: construction, building]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Construction \Con*struc"tion\, n. [L. constructio: cf. F. construction.] 1. The process or art of constructing; the act of building; erection; the act of devising and forming; fabrication; composition. [1913 Webster] 2. The form or manner of building or putting together the parts of anything; structure; arrangement. [1913 Webster] An astrolabe of peculiar construction. --Whewell. [1913 Webster] 3. (Gram.) The arrangement and connection of words in a sentence; syntactical arrangement. [1913 Webster] Some particles . . . in certain constructions have the sense of a whole sentence contained in them. --Locke. [1913 Webster] 4. The method of construing, interpreting, or explaining a declaration or fact; an attributed sense or meaning; understanding; explanation; interpretation; sense. [1913 Webster] Any person . . . might, by the sort of construction that would be put on this act, become liable to the penalties of treason. --Hallam. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster] Interpretation properly precedes construction, but it does not go beyond the written text. --Parsons. [1913 Webster] Construction of an equation (Math.), the drawing of such lines and figures as will represent geometrically the quantities in the equation, and their relations to each other. Construction train (Railroad), a train for transporting men and materials for construction or repairs. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

construction n 1: the act of constructing something; "during the construction we had to take a detour"; "his hobby was the building of boats" [syn: construction, building] 2: a group of words that form a constituent of a sentence and are considered as a single unit; "I concluded from his awkward constructions that he was a foreigner" [syn: construction, grammatical construction, expression] [ant: misconstruction] 3: the creation of a construct; the process of combining ideas into a congruous object of thought [syn: construction, mental synthesis] 4: a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts; "the structure consisted of a series of arches"; "she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons" [syn: structure, construction] 5: 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: an interpretation of a text or action; "they put an unsympathetic construction on his conduct" [syn: construction, twist] 7: the commercial activity involved in repairing old structures or constructing new ones; "their main business is home construction"; "workers in the building trades" [syn: construction, building]