1
a
: vertical in position
also
: not spread out or decumbent
an erect plant stem
columns still erect in the ruins
b
: standing up or out from the body
erect hairs
c
: characterized by firm or rigid straightness in bodily posture
an erect bearing
2
archaic
: directed upward
4
: being in a state of physiological erection
erected; erecting; erects
1
a(1)
: to put up by the fitting together of materials or parts : build
(2)
: to fix in an upright position
(3)
: to cause to stand up or stand out
b
archaic
: to direct upward
c
: to change (an image) from an inverted to a normal position
2
: to elevate in status
5
: to draw or construct (something, such as a perpendicular or figure) upon a given base
Examples of erect in a Sentence
Adjective
She sat erect, listening for her name.
a lone tree remained erect after the terrible tornado had passed
Verb
The city erected a statue in his honor.
They erected a marker over the grave.
Recent Examples on the Web
Davis Winkie, USA Today, 19 July 2025
Construction crews pour concrete and erect steel faster every year, yet one stubborn line item keeps projects over budget: paperwork.
—Shuangling Yin, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2025
In the meantime, during the stalemate, Rice would visit the site almost every day, slipping through the fence that the township had erected around the boat to keep out trespassers.
—John Carlisle, Freep.com, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for erect
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Adjective
The name of Fort Benning, for example, was suggested by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, an organization that sought to rewrite history textbooks and erect monuments that honored the Confederacy and downplayed slavery's centrality to the Civil War.
—Davis Winkie, USA Today, 19 July 2025
Construction crews pour concrete and erect steel faster every year, yet one stubborn line item keeps projects over budget: paperwork.
—Shuangling Yin, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Verb
As Florida enters peak hurricane season, questions persist about the safety of the detainees as well as staff housed at Alligator Alcatraz, the tent city quickly erected to hold migrants in the middle of the Everglades.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2025
In the meantime, during the stalemate, Rice would visit the site almost every day, slipping through the fence that the township had erected around the boat to keep out trespassers.
—John Carlisle, Freep.com, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for erect
Cite this Entry
“Erect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/erect. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
Legal Definition
erect
transitive verb
: to give legal existence to by a formal act of authority
no new State shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other State—U.S. Constitution art. IV
U.S. Constitution art. IV
erection
noun
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