carpenter

carpenter — noun

1. a person who makes, fixes, or puts together items made of wood, such as furnitur

1.nounB1
Definition

a person who makes, fixes, or puts together items made of wood, such as furniture, doors, window frames, and parts of a building's structure like floors and roofs

Example

The carpenter measured the wooden board twice before cutting it with a saw.

collocation: measure / cut wood

Aiko hired a carpenter to build new bookshelves for her living room.

collocation: hire a carpenter

Common collocations
  • hire a carpenter
  • a skilled carpenter
  • carpenter's workshop
  • carpenter's tools
  • a master carpenter
Synonyms
  • woodworker

    a broader term covering anyone who works with wood, including hobbyists

  • joiner

    British term for a carpenter who specialises in making window frames, doors, and indoor fittings in a workshop

Grammar Patterns

a carpenter

Usage Note

A carpenter works specifically with wood. A related but different trade is a joiner (who joins wood in a workshop), though the terms overlap in everyday use.

Common Mistakes

The carpenter fixed the broken pipes under the sink.
The plumber fixed the broken pipes; the carpenter repaired the wooden cabinet.
a carpenter works with wood, not metal pipes.

carpenter — verb

Word family

  • carpentry
    nounB2
  • carpentered
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Carpenter is the most common everyday term for someone who works with wood as a trade, especially on building sites — fitting doors, floors, and roof frames. A woodworker is a broader label that includes hobbyists and anyone who creates objects from wood, not necessarily as a profession. A joiner (chiefly British) is a carpenter who specialises in making window frames, doors, and indoor fittings in a workshop rather than on a construction site. A cabinetmaker is a specialised woodworker who builds high-quality furniture and storage units. For example, a carpenter might build the frame of a house, a joiner makes the windows that go into it, and a cabinetmaker builds the kitchen cabinets.

woodworkerjoinercabinetmaker

Common collocations

Nouns

  • carpenter
  • carpentry
  • wood

Adverbs

  • skillfully
  • expertly
  • professionally

Phrases

  • carpenter's bench
  • carpenter's square
  • carpenter's level

Prepositions

  • with (wood)
  • in (a workshop)
  • at (a construction site)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word carpenter comes from the Latin 'carpentum', meaning a two-wheeled carriage or wagon. In Old French it became 'carpentier', which meant a maker of carriages — a person who builds vehicles out of wood. As the building trade grew, the word expanded to mean any woodworker. The English form 'carpenter' has been used since around the 1100s.