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 TisdaleSynonyms
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 WebDaniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
The development was calculated to be the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, be constructed over 14 hectares (35 acres) and involve a $65 million (NZ$97 million) investment from the university itself.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
The building was constructed at the direction of King Christian IV, who had recognized the importance of trade and commerce, according to the Visit Copenhagen tourism website.
—Maya Tekeli, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2024
They are constructed so that the priest and congregants face east toward the altar and crucifixion icon during worship.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024
It was already ground down from multiple rounds of destruction and rebuilding, poor governance, and the Israeli-Egyptian economic blockade; some of the buildings that were bombed had been constructed out of concrete from previous buildings that had been bombed.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
In the early 1900s, a brick building was constructed along West 83rd and Shawnee streets in De Soto.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024
The building at 509 W. Vickery Blvd. was constructed in 1924, just two years after Dickies established its workwear brand in Fort Worth.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
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
Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
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
Verb
The dress had been constructed from a boudoir-ish bodice, which distended into a full-skirted ballgown, giving the impression of deliberate deshabillé, as if the design had been left unfinished on the mannequin.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
The development was calculated to be the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, be constructed over 14 hectares (35 acres) and involve a $65 million (NZ$97 million) investment from the university itself.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
The building was constructed at the direction of King Christian IV, who had recognized the importance of trade and commerce, according to the Visit Copenhagen tourism website.
—Maya Tekeli, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2024
They are constructed so that the priest and congregants face east toward the altar and crucifixion icon during worship.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024
It was already ground down from multiple rounds of destruction and rebuilding, poor governance, and the Israeli-Egyptian economic blockade; some of the buildings that were bombed had been constructed out of concrete from previous buildings that had been bombed.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
In the early 1900s, a brick building was constructed along West 83rd and Shawnee streets in De Soto.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024
The building at 509 W. Vickery Blvd. was constructed in 1924, just two years after Dickies established its workwear brand in Fort Worth.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
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
Noun
Sweeping the nation The sweeper is a fascinating construct.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near construct
Cite this Entry
“Construct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/construct. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical 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
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