ichidan verb, transitive verb
Used when establishing or maintaining a physical base such as a house, shop, office, or estate. 店を構える often implies setting up and operating a business at that location.
駅前に小さな店を構えた。
They set up a small shop in front of the station.
彼は
He maintains a large residence in the suburbs.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
hold ready; have at the ready; prepare in advance
Common with objects such as a camera, gun, sword, or microphone: holding something ready for immediate use. The broader sense of preparing something in advance, such as food, is possible but less central in modern everyday usage.
記者たちは出口でカメラを構えて待っていた。
The reporters were waiting at the exit with their cameras ready.
警官は銃を構えたまま近づいた。
The police officer approached with his gun at the ready.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
adopt a posture; assume a stance; stand ready
Used for taking a bodily or strategic stance in preparation for action, often in sports, martial arts, or tense situations.
選手は腰を低く構えてサーブを待った。
The player crouched into a low stance and waited for the serve.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
put on an air; assume an attitude
Intransitive use for deliberately taking on a certain attitude or manner, often suggesting artificiality, distance, or pretension.
彼はいつも偉そうに構えていて、話しかけにくい。
He always puts on a superior air, so he is hard to approach.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
tense up; stiffen; become overly formal
Often used in negative or reassuring expressions such as 構えないで, meaning not to get tense, guarded, or overly formal.
そんなに構えないで、気楽に話してください。
Don’t be so tense; please speak casually.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
Rare or formal compared with 作る or でっち上げる. Often seen in collocations such as 口実を構える, meaning to invent a pretext or excuse.
彼は遅刻をごまかすために口実を構えた。
He made up an excuse to cover up being late.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
Literary or rare use for devising a plan, especially a scheme or stratagem. Modern Japanese more often uses 企てる, 計画する, or 策を練る.
古い小説では「謀を構える」のような言い方で、ひそかに策を巡らす意味になる。
In older fiction, an expression like 謀を構える can mean to secretly devise a scheme.