Infrastructures Definition & Meaning

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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.

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 Russian officials said the strike targeted military infrastructure. — Ian Lovett, WSJ, 2 Aug. 2022 In Dane County, these pillars of democratic stability are alarmingly vulnerable to damage or destruction, so much so that task force members cast doubt on their ability to operate as critical infrastructure. — Ben Baker, Journal Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2022 Damage to critical infrastructure and the arrival of more heavy rains hampered efforts Sunday to help Kentucky residents hit by recent massive flooding, Gov. Andy Beshear said. — Bruce Schreiner, John Raby, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Aug. 2022 Increasing damage to critical infrastructure from heat waves is one thing. — Wired, 31 July 2022 At a news conference in Knott County, Beshear praised the fast arrival of FEMA trailers but noted numerous challenges in the recovery, including the threat of more rain and flooding and damage to critical infrastructure. — Bruce Schreiner And John Raby, Chicago Tribune, 31 July 2022 With that said, the city does have a preliminary estimate of more than $2 million in damage to public infrastructure for Inner Basin Waterline, Langley said. — Lacey Latch, The Arizona Republic, 30 July 2022 Tribal officials say the revenue could help repair aging water infrastructure. — Zayna Syed, USA TODAY, 30 July 2022 Marking the event was the completion of a five-year renovation and expansion project that has left Ponti’s building looking refreshed while adding critical infrastructure. — Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infrastructure.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near infrastructure

infraspinal

infrastructure

infrequence

Statistics for infrastructure

Last Updated

5 Aug 2022

Cite this Entry

“Infrastructure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infrastructure. Accessed 16 Aug. 2022.

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