To construct means to build or create something by putting parts together in an organized way. When engineers construct a bridge, they carefully assemble steel beams, concrete, and cables according to detailed plans. When you construct a model airplane, you're fitting together pieces to make something whole and functional.

The word emphasizes the planning and skill involved in building. You don't just throw parts together randomly: you construct something step by step, following a design or method. A programmer constructs software by writing lines of code that work together. A writer constructs an argument by organizing evidence and ideas in a logical order.

Construction is the noun form, referring both to the act of building (the construction of the Panama Canal took ten years) and to the industry of building things (her father works in construction, building office towers and apartment buildings).

In grammar and language, a construction is a particular arrangement of words or a way of building a sentence, like how “more better” is an incorrect construction while “much better” is correct.

Notice how construct differs from simpler words like “make” or “build”: it suggests something complex, requiring thought, planning, and skill. You might make a sandwich, but you construct a robot.

As a noun, a construct is something that has been built or formed, especially an idea or model people use to understand something.