The Construction of Meaning Workshop provides a forum for addressing developments in the treatment of meaning in linguistic theory. It sponsors presentations of ongoing student and faculty work, lectures by invited speakers, and an annual Semantics Fest, a conference showcasing local research on semantics and pragmatics.

Over the years the workshop has gained considerable momentum, with a growing number of students, faculty, and visitors participating and a diversification of interests that has often attracted audiences from From 1999-2009, the Construction of Meaning Workshop enjoyed support from the Stanford Humanities Center as part of its Theodore and Frances Geballe Research Workshop Program; this support is gratefully acknowledged