building

build‧ing S1 W1 /ˈbɪldɪŋ/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: noun: ↑build, ↑builder, ↑building; verb: ↑build, ↑rebuild; adjective: ↑built]
1. [countable] a structure such as a house, church, or factory, that has a roof and walls:
The offices are on the top two floors of the building.
a farmhouse and other farm buildings
2. [uncountable] the process or business of building things ⇨ construction:
There is a limited supply of land for building.
stone, timber, and other building materials
building of
The enquiry recommended the building of a tunnel.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ put up a building (also erect a building formal) They keep pulling down the old buildings and putting up new ones.
▪ pull down/knock down/tear down a building All the medieval buildings were torn down.
▪ demolish/destroy a building (=pull it down) Permission is needed to demolish listed buildings.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + building
▪ a tall building The park was surrounded by tall buildings.
▪ a high-rise building (=very tall with many floors) a New York high-rise building
▪ a low building That low building is a stable block.
▪ an office/school/hospital etc building Our office building is just ten minutes’ walk from where I live.
▪ a public building The town has a number of interesting public buildings, including the old town hall.
▪ a beautiful building (also a fine/handsome building British English) The old station was a fine building, but has sadly been demolished.
▪ an impressive/imposing building the impressive buildings around the town’s central square
▪ a brick/stone/wooden building The farmhouse is a long stone building about a century old.
▪ a two-storey/three-storey etc building (=with two, three etc floors) Our villa was a delightful two-storey building.
▪ a single-storey/one-storey building (=with only one floor)
▪ a historic building (=an old building of historical interest) Most of the historic buildings are from the 18th century.
▪ a listed building British English (=a historic building that is protected by a government order) The school is actually a listed building.
▪ a derelict building (=empty and in very bad condition) Near the canal there are a number of derelict buildings.
▪ a dilapidated building (=in bad condition) He rented an apartment at the top of a dilapidated building in Paris.
▪ a ramshackle building (also a tumbledown building British English) (=old and almost falling down) The farm was surrounded by tumbledown buildings.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ building a structure such as a house, church, or factory, that has a roof and walls: The college needs money to pay for new buildings.
▪ property formal a building or piece of land, or both together - used especially when talking about buying and selling buildings or land: The next property they looked at was too small. | The company received permission to build six residential properties on the land.
▪ premises formal the buildings and land that a shop, restaurant, company etc uses: You are not allowed to drink alcohol on the premises. | The bread is baked on the premises.
▪ complex a group of buildings, or a large building with many parts, used for a particular purpose: The town has one of the best leisure complexes in the country. | a luxury apartment complex
▪ development a group of new buildings that have all been planned and built together on the same piece of land: a new housing development | a huge industrial development
▪ block especially British English a large tall building that contains apartments or offices, or is part of a school, university, or hospital: an office block | a block of flats | a tower block (=a very tall building - often used disapprovingly) | My next lecture is in the science block.
▪ facility especially American English a place or building used for a particular activity or industry: a research facility on campus
▪ edifice formal a large building, especially one that is tall and impressive - a very formal use: Their head office was an imposing edifice.
▪ structure formal something that has been made to stand upright - used especially when talking about buildings: The stone arch is one of the town’s oldest existing structures. | an immense barn-like structure | Mogul calls this building, designed by Donald and John Parkinson in 1928, ‘the most important structure in Los Angeles of the 20th century.’

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

building

build·ing [building buildings] [ˈbɪldɪŋ] [ˈbɪldɪŋ] noun

1. countable a structure such as a house or school that has a roof and walls

• tall/old/historic buildings

2. uncountable the process and work of building
• the building of the school
• There's building work going on next door.
• the building trade
• building materials/costs/regulations
Thesaurus:
building noun
1. C
• a tall/high-rise/ten-storey building
property • • structure • • premises • • complex • |especially BrE block •
a commercial/residential building/property/premises/complex/block
erect a building/structure/complex/block
demolish a building/property/structure/complex/block
2. U
• There's building work going on next door.
construction • • assembly •
Opp: demolition
house/road building/construction
building/construction companies/costs/firms/jobs/materials/work
the building/construction industry
Building or construction? Construction is a more technical word, used in business and industrial contexts. Building is used to talk about building work on a smaller scale.
Collocations:
Decorating and home improvement
Houses
refurbish/renovate/ (BrE) do up a building/a house
convert a building/house/room into homes/offices/(especially NAmE) apartments/(BrE) flats
extend/enlarge a house/building/room/kitchen
build (BrE) an extension (to the back/rear of a house)/(NAmE) an addition (on/to sth)/(BrE) a conservatory
knock down/demolish a house/home/building/wall
knock out/through the wall separating two rooms
Decoration
furnish/paint/ (especially BrE) decorate a home/house/apartment/flat/room
be decorated in bright colours/(especially US) colors/in a traditional style/with flowers/with paintings
paint/plaster the walls/ceiling
hang/put up/strip off/remove the wallpaper
install/replace/remove the bathroom fixtures/(BrE) fittings
build/put up shelves
lay wooden flooring/timber decking/floor tiles/a carpet/a patio
put up/hang/take down a picture/painting/poster/curtain
DIY/home improvement
do (BrE) DIY/carpentry/the plumbing/the wiring
make home improvements
add/install central heating/underfloor heating/insulation
fit/install double-glazing/a smoke alarm
insulate your house/your home/the walls/the pipes/the tanks/(especially BrE) the loft
fix/repair a roof/a leak/a pipe/the plumbing/a leaking (especially BrE) tap/(NAmE usually) faucet
block/clog (up)/unblock/unclog a pipe/sink
make/drill/fill a hole
hammer (in)/pull out/remove a nail
tighten/untighten/loosen/remove a screw
saw/cut/treat/stain/varnish/paint wood
Synonyms:
building
property • premises • complex • structure • block
These are all words for a structure such as a house, office block or factory that has a roof and four walls
building • a structure such as a house, office block or factory that has a roof and four walls
property • a building or buildings and the surrounding land; land and buildings: ▪ We have a buyer who would like to view the property. ◊ ▪ The price of property has risen enormously.
This word is often used when talking about buying/selling houses or other buildings and land.
premises • [pl.] the building or buildings and surrounding land that a business owns or uses: ▪ The company is looking for larger premises.
complex • a group of buildings of a similar type together in one place: ▪ a leisure complex
structure • a thing that is made of several parts, especially a building: ▪ The pier is a wooden structure.
block • (BrE) a tall building that contains flats or offices; a building that forms part of a school, hospital, etc. and is used for a particular purpose: ▪ a block of flats ◊ ▪ the school's science block
a(n) commercial/industrial/residential building/property/premises/complex/block
an apartment building/complex/block
a/the school building/premises
to build a(n) property/complex/structure/block
to put up a building/property/structure/block
to demolish/pull down a(n) building/property/complex/structure/block
Example Bank:
• Both architects specialize in the restoration of historic buildings.
• Housing is limited and most people live in high-rise apartment buildings.
• In 2008 the building was converted into a house.
• Several new buildings are now being put up.
• The building was gutted by fire.
• The opera house is one of the city's landmark buildings.
• The prices of commercial and residential buildings increased by 13.4%.
• They were refused planning permission for a modern extension because it was a Grade II listed building.
• They're renovating the old farm buildings.
• We're having some building work done.
• a central square, where two buildings stand
• The Blue Mosque at Isfahan is the most beautiful building I have ever seen.
• There's building work going on next door.
• a tall/high-rise/ten-storey building

• the building of the new stadium

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

building

building /ˈbɪl.dɪŋ/
noun [C or U]
a structure with walls and a roof such as a house or factory, or the business of making these:
The once-empty site was now covered with buildings.
He started off in the building trade before opening his own restaurant.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

building

/bɪldɪŋ/
(buildings)

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.

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.

N-COUNT

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

building

build·ing /ˈbɪldɪŋ/ noun, pl -ings
1 [count] : a structure (such as a house, hospital, school, etc.) with a roof and walls that is used as a place for people to live, work, do activities, store things, etc.
• My office is in that small brick building.
• office/apartment buildings [=buildings with offices/apartments inside]
2 [noncount] : the act or process of making structures by putting together materials
• We bought the land for building.
- often + of
• He planned the building [=construction] of the town's roads and bridges.
• The building of the bridge took 10 years.
- often used before another noun
• building materials/supplies
• a building contractor [=someone whose business is building structures]
• the building site