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
building in British English
(ˈbɪldɪŋ)
noun
1.
something built with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory
2.
the act, business, occupation, or art of building houses, boats, etc
building in American English
(ˈbɪldɪŋ)
noun
1.
anything that is built with walls and a roof, as a house or factory; structure
2.
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 materialof construction is being stressed [a steel structure]; pile1 is applied in poetry and lofty prose to a very large building or mass of buildings
Examples of 'building' in a sentence
building
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 Bomber
Why 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)
In other languages
building
British English: building /ˈbɪldɪŋ/ NOUN
A building is a structure with a roof and walls, such as a house.
They were on the upper floor of the building.
American English: building
Arabic: بِنَاء
Brazilian Portuguese: edifício
Chinese: 建筑物
Croatian: zgrada
Czech: budova
Danish: bygning
Dutch: gebouw
European Spanish: edificio
Finnish: rakennus
French: bâtiment
German: Gebäude
Greek: κτήριο
Italian: edificio
Japanese: 建物
Korean: 건물
Norwegian: bygning
Polish: budynek
European Portuguese: prédio
Romanian: clădire
Russian: здание
Latin American Spanish: edificio
Swedish: byggnad
Thai: ตึก อาคาร
Turkish: yapı
Ukrainian: будівля
Vietnamese: tòa nhà
All related terms of 'building'
build
If you build something, you make it by joining things together .
custom-build
to make according to the specifications of an individual buyer
self-build
the practice of building one's own home
self-built
the practice of building one's own home
upbuild
to build up; enlarge , increase , etc
building land
land on which construction can take place
building line
the boundary line along a street beyond which buildings must not project
building plot
a piece of land on which a house can be built
building site
A building site is an area of land on which a building or a group of buildings is in the process of being built or altered .
bridge-building
efforts to establish communications and friendly contacts between people in order to make them friends or allies
building block
If you describe something as a building block of something, you mean it is one of the separate parts that combine to make that thing.
building paper
any of various types of heavy-duty paper that usually consist of bitumen reinforced with fibre sandwiched between two sheets of kraft paper: used in damp-proofing or as insulation between the soil and a road surface
building permit
a permit for construction work
building trade
the economic sector comprising all companies and workers involved in construction
building trades
the trades and professions concerned with the creation and finishing of buildings, such as carpenters, plasterers, masons , electricians , etc.
building worker
a labourer , bricklayer , etc who works in the construction industry
building works
construction projects
image-building
improving the brand image or public image of something or someone by good public relations , advertising , etc
jerry-building
the act of building ( houses , flats , etc) badly using cheap materials
listed building
(in Britain) a building officially recognized as having special historical or architectural interest and therefore protected from demolition or alteration
nation-building
Journalists sometimes use nation-building to refer to government policies that are designed to create a strong sense of national identity .
office building
An office building is a large building that contains offices.
public building
a building that belongs to a town or state, and is used by the public
system building
a method of building in which prefabricated components are used to speed the construction of buildings
apartment building
An apartment building or apartment house is a tall building which contains different apartments on different floors .
building industry
the economic sector comprising all companies involved in construction
building inspector
An inspector is a person, usually employed by a government agency , whose job is to find out whether people are obeying official regulations .
building labourer
an unskilled worker on construction sites
building materials
materials such as bricks , cement , timber , etc
building society
In Britain , a building society is a business which will lend you money when you want to buy a house. You can also invest money in a building society, where it will earn interest . Compare → savings and loan association .
character-building
improving certain good or useful traits in a person's character, esp self-reliance , endurance , and courage
tenement building
( now esp in Scotland ) a large building divided into separate flats
unlisted building
a building that is not amongst those buildings officially recognized as having special historical or architectural interest and therefore protected from demolition or alteration
building contractor
an individual or company that contracts for the construction of houses, etc
parliament building
the building where a parliament meets
Empire State Building
→ the Empire State Building
build in
to incorporate or construct as an integral part
build up
If you build up something or if it builds up , it gradually becomes bigger , for example because more is added to it.
sick building syndrome
Sick building syndrome is a group of conditions, including headaches, sore eyes, and tiredness, which people who work in offices may experience because the air there is not healthy to breathe .
boatbuilding
Boatbuilding is the craft or industry of making boats.
bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is the activity of doing special exercises regularly in order to make your muscles grow bigger .
build into
to make (something) a definite part of (a contract , agreement, etc)
the Empire State Building
a very high skyscraper in New York City
jerry-build
to build (houses, flats , etc) badly using cheap materials
building and loan association
(in the UK) a cooperative organization that accepts deposits of money from savers and uses them to make loans , secured by mortgages , to house buyers . Since 1986 they have been empowered to offer banking services
build up to
If you build up to something you want to do or say , you try to prepare people for it by starting to do it or introducing the subject gradually.
cooperative bank
(in the UK) a cooperative organization that accepts deposits of money from savers and uses them to make loans , secured by mortgages , to house buyers . Since 1986 they have been empowered to offer banking services
block
A block of flats or offices is a large building containing them.
psychological block
a large solid piece of wood, stone , or other material with flat rectangular sides, as for use in building
empire-builder
a person who seeks extra power for its own sake , esp by increasing the number of his or her subordinates or staff