erect 1 of 2

adjective

i-ˈrekt How to pronounce erect (audio)
Definition of erectnext
as in standing
rising straight up a lone tree remained erect after the terrible tornado had passed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

erect

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to raise
to fix in an upright position the tribes of the Pacific Northwest erected totem poles in front of their dwellings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to build
to form by putting together parts or materials we'd better erect some sort of shelter before these woods are in total darkness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of erect
Adjective
Staying awake with one’s spine erect throughout the night is believed to help raise energy, supporting inner growth. — Mandeep Rai, Forbes.com, 13 Feb. 2026 My posture is erect, gait easy, expression flat, uninterested. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 May 2026
Verb
As of mid-June 2026, CBP has erected another 74 miles (119 kilometers) and aims to build hundreds more. — Rebecca Santana, Fortune, 2 July 2026 The stage in question was newly erected on the White House lawn for the Freedom 250 celebration, planned to commemorate the semiquincentennial of America's founding. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for erect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for erect
  1. standing
  2. raise
  3. build
  4. vertical
  5. rear
  6. construct
  7. upright
  8. hoist
Adjective
  • In an April assessment, Control Risks already treated it as a standing planning assumption, which reprices redundancy, war-risk insurance and evacuation planning rather than compliance programmes.
    — Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Audience members then gave the star a standing ovation.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 June 2026
Definition of standing
Verb
  • But the data center boom has raised many questions about land use, the resources the complexes consume and the risk of costs being spread to other Georgia residents and businesses.
    — Drew Kann, AJC.com, 1 July 2026
  • Gonzales ran with a platform decisively to the left, supporting Medicare-for-all, raising the minimum wage and cracking down on junk fees.
    — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of raise
Verb
  • Such strategies include building green roofs and courtyards to help with shading and air circulation, and using dense materials such as concrete or brick that can stabilize indoor temperatures in heat.
    — Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • The latest work uses that capability to scan the space above a chip and build a detailed electromagnetic map.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026
Definition of build
Adjective
  • Thanks to this vertical ecosystem, stretching from the Apple Watch through iPhone and iPad to the Mac, Apple’s retail pricing has more flexibility than a traditional smartphone manufacturer.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • Bradley Barcola provides a vertical threat with his speed while Olise is the creator that knits everything together.
    — Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of vertical
Verb
  • Chicks hatched at the National Aviary travel to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas to be reared to adulthood, according to the aviary's website.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • In the third, coauthors Dan Janssen and Winnie Hallwachs spent more than 40 years collecting caterpillars in the forest and rearing them with the express purpose of seeing which parasitoid wasps tore their way out.
    — Elizabeth Anne Brown, Scientific American, 1 July 2026
Definition of rear
Verb
  • Workers constructed a special tunnel to bring the larger ones into the building, in Midtown Manhattan.
    — Matt Viser, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
  • Acting as the first line of defense, guardrails must be constructed to withstand today’s threats.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of construct
Adjective
  • The master bedroom is situated downstairs, so has ample headroom to stand upright.
    — Adam Williams July 06, New Atlas, 6 July 2026
  • The plane, a Kodiak 100, was turned upright in the water and towed back to the dock, according to the FDNY.
    — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026
Definition of upright
Verb
  • England has been one of the betting favorites—behind only France, Argentina and possibly Spain—to eventually hoist the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • With group play coming to a close and the Round of 32 approaching, the competition is heating up as teams look to punch their tickets to the knockout round in hopes of hoisting the FIFA World Cup Trophy at the final on Sunday, July 19.
    — Jaclyn Hendricks, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
Definition of hoist

Browse Nearby Words

ere
erect
erected
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Erect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/erect. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on erect

Nglish: Translation of erect for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All