infrastructure

noun

in·​fra·​struc·​ture ˈin-frə-ˌstrək-chər 

-(ˌ)frä-

1

: the system of public works of a country, state, or region

also : the resources (such as personnel, buildings, or equipment) required for an activity

2

: the underlying foundation or basic framework (as of a system or organization)

3

: the permanent installations required for military purposes

infrastructural

ˈin-frə-ˌstrək-chə-rəl  -ˌstrək-shrəl 

-(ˌ)frä-

adjective

Did you know?

Infra- means "below;" so the infrastructure is the "underlying structure" of a country and its economy, the fixed installations that it needs in order to function. These include roads, bridges, dams, the water and sewer systems, railways and subways, airports, and harbors. These are generally government-built and publicly owned. Some people also speak about such things as the intellectual infrastructure or the infrastructure of science research, but the meaning of such notions can be extremely vague.

Synonyms of infrastructure

• structure
• architecture
• framework

Examples of infrastructure in a Sentence

More money is needed to save the crumbling infrastructure of the nation's rural areas.

We need to spend more money on maintaining and repairing infrastructure.

Recent Examples on the Web

Many of the attacks targeted energy infrastructure and commercial sites, causing billions of dollars of economic losses and shattering their image as a safe haven for foreign travel and investment. —Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 23 June 2026

With the completion of a multi-year effort to modernize Baltimore’s rail infrastructure — raising bridges, modifying overpasses and expanding the Howard Street Tunnel to accommodate double-stack container trains — Baltimore once again sits at the center of a national rail breakthrough. —Wes Moore, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2026

By opening Colossus to outside customers, the company is positioning itself alongside cloud providers and AI infrastructure companies that are racing to sell scarce graphics processing unit capacity. —Deirdre Bosa, CNBC, 22 June 2026

In 2006, Adebayo founded Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) — an investment firm that grew into one of the world's largest infrastructure investors, with holdings across the energy, transportation, digital infrastructure and waste management sectors. —Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for infrastructure

• macrostructure
• microstructure
• nanostructure
• superstructure
• ultrastructure
• restructure
• substructure
• structure

Kids Definition

infrastructure

noun

in·​fra·​struc·​ture ˈin-frə-ˌstrək-chər 

1

: the underlying foundation or basic framework (as of a system or organization)

2

: the system of public works of a country, state, or region

also : the resources (as people, buildings, or equipment) required for an activity