building

building — noun

1. a fixed place with rooms inside, made for people to live, work, study, or make t

1.nounA2
Definition

a fixed place with rooms inside, made for people to live, work, study, or make things in.

Example

The new library building opened beside the river last spring.

library building

Smoke came from the tall building across from the train station.

building across from + place

Common collocations
  • library building
  • office building
  • school building
  • brick building
  • apartment building
Synonyms
  • structure

    broader and slightly more technical; not every structure is a place people use indoors

  • house

    narrower; mainly a building for people to live in

  • premises

    more formal; often used for a business property

Grammar Patterns

a building near/by/across from + place

go into/out of the building

office/school/apartment building

Usage Note

Often modified by words for use or material, such as 'office', 'school', 'brick', or 'stone'. Distinguish from sense 2, which is uncountable and names the work or industry, not the finished structure.

Common Mistakes

There are many building on this street.
There are many buildings on this street.
This sense is countable, so use the plural form for more than one.

2. the work or industry of putting up houses, roads, and other large structures.

2.nounA2
Definition

the work or industry of putting up houses, roads, and other large structures.

Example

Building began after the village got money for a new clinic.

building began

Many local jobs came from building near the east port.

Common collocations
  • building work
  • building industry
  • building began
  • continue building
  • stop building
Synonyms
  • construction

    the closest match and the more usual formal term

  • housebuilding

    narrower; used mainly when homes are being built

  • development

    broader; can include planning and business decisions, not only the physical work

Antonyms
  • demolition

    the work of pulling structures down instead of putting them up

Grammar Patterns

building began/continued/stopped

work in building

building on + site/place

Usage Note

Uncountable in this sense. It often follows verbs such as 'begin', 'continue', or 'stop', and it appears in job descriptions like 'work in building'. Distinguish from sense 1, which names the structure itself.

Common Mistakes

Her father works in a building.
Her father works in building.' / 'Her father works in the building industry.
This sense names the trade, so it is usually uncountable.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For sense 1, building is the normal general word for a place with walls, rooms, and a roof. Structure is broader and slightly more technical: a bridge or tower is a structure, but learners often use building when people use the place indoors. House is narrower, because it usually means a building for living in. Premises is more formal and often appears in business, legal, or safety notices. Property can mean the whole piece of real estate, not just the physical building. Compare: 'The school moved into a new building near the station.' 'Smoking is not allowed on these premises.'

structure ↗house ↗premisesproperty ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishGermanicEnglish

Building was formed in English from the verb build plus the ending -ing. The older verb comes from Old English and Germanic roots connected with putting up a structure or making a dwelling. Over time, building came to name both the activity and the finished thing, which is why modern English uses it for both construction work and the structure itself.