Build vs. Create: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
"Build" typically implies constructing or assembling something tangible, while "Create" generally refers to generating or bringing something into existence, which may or may not be tangible.
Key Differences
Building involves assembling various components into a coherent structure, often with a tangible outcome. Creating, in contrast, is the process of bringing something new into existence, which can be intangible, like an idea or concept.
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To build is to follow a systematic approach, often based on existing designs or plans. Creation is more about originality, involving generating something novel without relying strictly on existing blueprints.
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Building is typically associated with physical objects, like buildings or machines. Creating spans a broader spectrum, encompassing not just physical objects but also abstract concepts like stories, music, or theories.
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The act of building often requires specific skills and tools relevant to the materials being used. Creation, however, leans more on imagination and innovation, with tools varying widely based on the medium of creation.
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Building is a process that often implies enhancement or modification of existing entities. Creating is about initiating something completely new, bringing into being something that didn't previously exist in any form.
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Comparison Chart
Outcome
Physical and tangible structures or objects.
Intangible ideas, concepts, or physical items.
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Skillset
Technical skills and specific tools.
Imagination and a broad range of skills.
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Dependency
Often relies on existing plans or designs.
More independent, relying on original ideas.
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Build and Create Definitions
Build
To construct by putting parts or materials together.
They decided to build a new house on the hillside.
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Create
To produce through imaginative skill.
He creates beautiful music with his guitar.
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Build
To develop or form over time.
She built a reputation as a skilled lawyer.
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Create
To establish something with a distinct identity.
They created a new department within the company.
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Build
To establish a basis or foundation.
The course is designed to build your understanding of the subject.
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Create
To cause something to happen or exist.
The event was created to raise awareness for the cause.
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Build
To create complex systems or structures.
The engineer builds software for data analysis.
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Create
To design or devise something novel.
The author created a unique world in her novel.
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Build
To order, finance, or supervise the construction of
The administration built several new housing projects.
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Build
To develop or give form to according to a plan or process; create
Build a nation.
Built a successful business out of their corner grocery store.
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Create
To produce through artistic or imaginative effort
Create a poem.
Create a dramatic role.
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Build
To increase or strengthen by adding gradually to
Money building interest in a savings account.
Build support for a political candidate.
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Create
(transitive) To bring into existence; (sometimes in particular:)
You can create the color orange by mixing yellow and red.
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Build
To engage in the construction or design of buildings
"Each of the three architects built in a different style" (Dwight Macdonald).
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Create
To bring into existence out of nothing, without the prior existence of the materials or elements used.
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Create
To make or produce from other (e.g. raw, unrefined or scattered) materials or combinable elements or ideas; to design or invest with a new form, shape, function, etc.
Couturiers create exclusive garments for an affluent clientele.
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Build
To progress toward a maximum, as of intensity
Suspense building from the opening scene to the climax.
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Create
(transitive) To cause, to bring (a non-object) about by an action, behavior, or event, to occasion.
Crop failures created food shortages and high prices; his stubbornness created many difficulties
A sudden chemical spill on the highway created a chain‐collision which created a record traffic jam.
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Build
The physical makeup of a person or thing, especially one's physique
An athletic build.
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Create
(transitive) To confer or invest with a rank or title of nobility, to appoint, ordain or constitute.
Henry VIII created him a Duke.
Last month, the queen created two barons.
Under the concordate with Belgium, at least one Belgian clergyman must be created cardinal; by tradition, every archbishop of Mechelen is thus created a cardinal.
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Build
(Computers) Any of various versions of a software product as it is being developed for release to users.
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Create
(intransitive) To be or do something creative, imaginative, originative.
Children usually enjoy creating, never mind if it is of any use!
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Create
(transitive) In theatre, to be the first performer of a role; to originate a character.
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Build
(transitive) To develop or give form to (something) according to a plan or process.
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Build
(transitive) To increase or strengthen (something) by adding gradually to.
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Create
To bring into being; to form out of nothing; to cause to exist.
In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.
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Create
To effect by the agency, and under the laws, of causation; to be the occasion of; to cause; to produce; to form or fashion; to renew.
Your eye in ScotlandWould create soldiers.
Create in me a clean heart.
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Create
To invest with a new form, office, or character; to constitute; to appoint; to make; as, to create one a peer.
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Build
To be converted into software by compilation, usually with minimal human intervention.
This code won’t build any more. Have you made any changes?
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Create
Make or cause to be or to become;
Make a mess in one's office
Create a furor
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Build
The physique of a human or animal body, or other object; constitution or structure.
Rugby players are of sturdy build.
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Create
Bring into existence;
The company was created 25 years ago
He created a new movement in painting
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Build
Any of various versions of a software product as it is being developed for release to users.
The computer company has introduced a new prototype build to beta testers.
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Create
Pursue a creative activity; be engaged in a creative activity;
Don't disturb him--he is creating
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Build
A structure, such as a building, statue, pool or forest, or a configuration of a character's items or skills, created by the player.
I made a build that looked like the Parthenon in that game.
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Build
To erect or construct, as an edifice or fabric of any kind; to form by uniting materials into a regular structure; to fabricate; to make; to raise.
Nor aught availed him nowTo have built in heaven high towers.
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Create
Create by artistic means;
Create a poem
Schoenberg created twelve-tone music
Picasso created Cubism
Auden made verses
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Build
To raise or place on a foundation; to form, establish, or produce by using appropriate means.
Who builds his hopes in air of your good looks.
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Create
Create or manufacture a man-made product;
We produce more cars than we can sell
The company has been making toys for two centuries
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Build
To increase and strengthen; to increase the power and stability of; to settle, or establish, and preserve; - frequently with up; as, to build up one's constitution.
I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up.
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Create
To bring something new into existence.
She loves to create art with vibrant colors.
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Build
To rest or depend, as on a foundation; to ground one's self or one's hopes or opinions upon something deemed reliable; to rely; as, to build on the opinions or advice of others.
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Build
Form or mode of construction; general figure; make; as, the build of a ship; a great build on a man.
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Build
Alternative names for the body of a human being;
Leonardo studied the human body
He has a strong physique
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
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Build
Make by combining materials and parts;
This little pig made his house out of straw
Some eccentric constructed an electric brassiere warmer
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Build
Form or accumulate steadily;
Resistance to the manager's plan built up quickly
Pressure is building up at the Indian-Pakistani border
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Build
Order, supervise, or finance the construction of;
The government is building new schools in this state
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Build
Give form to, according to a plan;
Build a modern nation
Build a million-dollar business
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Build
Be engaged in building;
These architects build in interesting and new styles
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Build
Found or ground;
Build a defense on nothing but the accused person's reputation
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Build
Bolster or strengthen;
We worked up courage
Build up confidence
Ramp up security in the airports
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Build
Develop and grow;
Suspense was building right from the beginning of the opera
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
What does it mean to build in architecture?
In architecture, to build means to construct a structure from various materials.
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Does build imply adding to something existing?
Often, but it can also mean creating something new from the ground up.
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What's an example of creating in art?
An artist using their imagination to paint a new piece.
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Is creating always an artistic process?
Not always; it can be scientific, business-related, etc.
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Can build be used in a technological context?
Absolutely, like building software or a website.
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Is building a creative process?
Yes, it can be, especially in design and architecture.
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Can build be used metaphorically?
Yes, it can refer to developing non-physical things, like relationships.
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Can someone create intangible things?
Yes, like ideas, music, stories, or concepts.
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Is building always a physical activity?
Primarily, but it can also refer to assembling abstract concepts.
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Is it correct to say "build an idea"?
More commonly, we'd say "develop an idea", but "build" can be used metaphorically.
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Do you need artistic skills to create?
Not always, but creative thinking is crucial.
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Does create imply making something from nothing?
It implies bringing into existence something new, not necessarily from nothing.
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Can create be used in a business context?
Yes, like creating a business plan or strategy.
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Is creation a spontaneous process?
It can be, but it often involves planning and development.
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Is creation a solitary activity?
It can be, but often involves collaboration.
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Do you need special tools to build?
Yes, depending on what is being built, specific tools are often required.
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Can we use build in a social context?
Yes, like building a community or network.
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Is building a linear process?
Often it is, following a specific sequence of steps.
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Is creating limited to original ideas?
Generally, yes, it involves originality and novelty.
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Can create be used in an educational context?
Yes, like creating a curriculum or a learning experience.
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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