I. e ‧ rect 1 /ɪˈrekt/ BrE AmE adjective
1 . in a straight upright position:
Martin stood erect on the platform.
2 . an erect ↑ penis or ↑ nipple is stiff and bigger than it usually is because a person is sexually excited
II. erect 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: erectus , past participle of erigere 'to erect' , from regere 'to lead straight, guide' ]
1 . formal to build something such as a building or wall:
an imposing town hall, erected in 1892
Police have erected barriers across the main roads into the town.
2 . to fix all the pieces of something together, and put it in an upright position SYN put up :
It took a couple of hours to erect the tent.
3 . to establish something such as a system or institution
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THESAURUS
▪ build to make a house, road, wall, bridge etc using bricks, stone, wood, or other materials:
A new stadium will be built for the Olympics.
▪ construct to build a building, bridge, machine etc. Construct is more formal than build :
The council plans to construct two new schools.
▪ put up something to build a wall, fence, or building, or put a statue somewhere. Put up is less formal than build :
The neighbours have put up a new wooden fence.
▪ erect formal to build a wall, fence, or building, especially a public building, or put a statue somewhere:
A monument to the Canadian soliders was erected in Green Park.
▪ throw something up British English informal to build something very quickly:
Developers have hastily thrown up family homes in the area.
▪ put together to make something from its parts, for example a piece of furniture:
It took an hour to put the bookcase together.
▪ assemble formal to put all the parts of something such as a machine or a piece of furniture together:
A line of robots assemble the cars.