architect
Americannoun
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a person who engages in the profession of architecture.
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a person professionally engaged in the design of certain large constructions other than buildings and the like.
landscape architect; naval architect.
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the deviser, maker, or creator of anything.
the architects of the Constitution of the United States.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a person qualified to design buildings and to superintend their erection
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a person similarly qualified in another form of construction
a naval architect
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any planner or creator
the architect of the expedition
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of architect
1555–65; < Latin architectus < Greek architéktōn, equivalent to Greek archi- archi- + tektōn builder, craftsman
Explanation
A person who designs buildings is an architect. If you become an architect, you'll be responsible for drawing the blueprints, planning the work, and sometimes even overseeing the construction of a building. Frank Lloyd Wright was a famous architect who helped complete over 500 projects in his lifetime, including private homes, skyscrapers, museums, churches, and schools. Architects work on buildings of all types, and the Greek root arkhitektōn literally means “chief builder.” An architect can construct other things too, like the architects who design a video game, or the architect of your misfortune who dumped green slime on your head at a school dance.
Vocabulary lists containing architect
Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Play by the Rules: Arch
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Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He’d become fascinated by Penn after seeing a visionary plan for its resurrection drafted by architect Vishaan Chakrabarti in the New York Times.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026
The painter and architect, hailed as the father of the Italian Renaissance, is believed to have been born around 1267 in Vicchio, just north of Florence.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
Argentine lifestyle impresario Alan Faena opened his namesake New York hotel late last year in the bottom of a torqued high rise by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Born in Rosario, Argentina, Bielsa hails from a family of educated minds, with his brother having worked in politics and his sister a renowned architect.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
The present building was designed in the late nineteenth century by the same Philadelphia architect whom Washington Duke had hired to build the Main Building at Trinity College.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
