ship builder

3.2

A person who builds ships, often using wood

noun
/ʃɪp ˈbɪldər/

: astillero

Now, I don't have to tell you what a windfall that would be to our ship builders here.

Examples

John is known as the best ship builder in the coastal town, crafting beautiful wooden vessels.
We wish to speak with Squire Trelawney, the ship builder.

Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
The local ship builder launched a new sailboat last week that attracted many visitors.
As a skilled ship builder, she spent years perfecting the art of constructing sturdy fishing boats.

Synonyms

shipbuilder

vsship builder

4 3.7

A person or company that builds and repairs ships

refers to a person focused on building and launching wooden vessels

shipwright

vsship builder

Specialized

2 8.6

A person who builds and repairs ships, often wooden ones

focuses on building and launching vessels rather than craft technique

Surface Forms

ship builder singular

ship builders plural

Morphology

ship + builder

The meaning 'a person who constructs ships' is directly and compositionally derived from 'ship' (vessel) + 'builder' (one who builds); it follows a productive English compound pattern (X + builder = one who builds X). This transparent formation is common cross-linguistically and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Ship builder is the name for a person who builds a ship, and the word builder simply means someone who makes things. Imagine a craftsman shaping wooden planks by the water and sending the new boat into the sea, so 'ship builder' means 'someone who makes and launches ships'.