Construct and construct are two words that are spelled identically but are pronounced differently and have different meanings, which makes them heteronyms. We will examine the definitions of the words construct and construct, where these words came from, and a few examples of their use in sentences.
Construct (kun STRUKT) is means to build something, to put something together, or make something either literally or figuratively. One may construct a building, or one may construct an idea. Construct is a transitive verb, which is a verb that takes an object; related words are constructs, constructed, constructing, construction. The word construct is derived from the Latin word, constructus, which means to pile together or to erect.
Construct (CON strukt) is a noun that means a working concept or a theory. Usually, a construct is based on impressions or ideas that are not necessarily yet proven to be true or to go together. The word construct, used as a noun, came into use in the 1870s to mean a linguistics group; in 1890s, the noun construct came into use to mean a concept of the mind.
Examples
Rome Health celebrated the start of its $11.4 million capital project to construct a new Physician Center on the hospital campus Wednesday, Nov. 10th, with the help of a ceremonial demolition crew to break down walls. (Oneida Daily Dispatch)
Econergy finalises agreement to construct and operate the largest solar project in Romania (PV Magazine)
These studies pretend gender has a biological basis that can dictate our entire personhood and capabilities, which science has proven, time and time again, is a construct that does not actually exist. (Daily Free Press)
The Days of the Dead is such a combination, and the people who can celebrate that time, who live on the border, whether that border is seen as a concrete reality, or as a mental construct, have reached some accommodation with their dual heritage. (The Gazette)