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

• architecture
• armature
• cadre
• configuration
• edifice
• fabric
• frame
• framework
• framing
• shell
• skeleton
• structure

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

Tribal officials are concerned that there have been no studies examining the potential impact to the environment, economy, infrastructure or tribal cultural or treaty rights if the bill were to pass. —Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 1 Aug. 2024

According to the report, current infrastructure will be able to deliver less water in the coming years as rising temperatures bring more intense droughts, decreased snowpack, more extreme storms and more precipitation falling as rain rather than snow. —Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2024

The controversy isn't new for Cloudflare, a network operator that has often taken a hands-off approach to moderating the enormous amount of traffic flowing through its infrastructure. —Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 31 July 2024

Many of the platforms that are now part of society’s basic infrastructure face a similar prospect. —Carl Öhman, TIME, 31 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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