infrastructure

noun in·fra·struc·ture \ ˈin-frə-ˌstrək-chər , -(ˌ)frä- \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Examples: infrastructure in a Sentence

Definition of infrastructure

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

2 : the permanent installations required for military purposes

3 : the system of public works of a country, state, or region; also : the resources (such as personnel, buildings, or equipment) required for an activity

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infrastructural

play \ˈin-frə-ˌstrək-chə-rəl, -ˌstrək-shrəl, -(ˌ)frä-\ adjective

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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 of infrastructure from the Web

Proposition 2 will require spending on infrastructure projects once the rainy-day fund reaches its legal capacity — and that happens once the $2.6 billion is deposited.

— john myers, latimes.com, "California lawmakers craft new ways to stash away budget cash," 17 June 2018
China says there were no economic pre-conditions, but many speculate the estimated $3.1 billion in infrastructure projects now slated for construction influenced the switch.

— matthew chitwood, The New Republic, "Tea and Tariffs in Rural Yunnan," 15 June 2018
It is supposed to achieve this by hiring no civil servants for two years, phasing out subsidies for gas and transport, and cancelling non-essential infrastructure projects.

— The Economist, "Argentina’s central-bank president resigns," 15 June 2018
Krish Vignarajah planned to announce a $350 million fund for infrastructure projects.

— luke broadwater, baltimoresun.com, "As early voting starts Thursday in Maryland, campaigns getting aggressive," 14 June 2018
The capital improvement program is funding $3.9 million for streets, curbs and gutter upgrades and other infrastructure projects.

— jess nocera, Laurel Leader, "Laurel Council approved a $34.2 million budget in May," 14 June 2018
Lately Melrose PR has focused more on blockchain infrastructure projects instead of ICOs and encouraged clients to tell their own stories on Medium and Steemit (the crypto world’s version of Medium), rather than pitch press.

— erin griffith, WIRED, "The Hustlers Fueling Cryptocurrency’s Marketing Machine," 12 June 2018
Much of the capital spending is for infrastructure projects that might not be readily visible to most residents, such as automating water meters and irrigation.

— jerod macdonald-evoy, azcentral, "From pickleball to bikepaths: What's in the Tempe budget for you," 12 June 2018
Beijing’s infrastructure projects in Central Asia make some in the bloc uncomfortable — particularly India, which alone among members has refused to endorse the program.

— dake kang, The Seattle Times, "Xi extolls free trade at Asia meet as G-7 ends in disarray," 10 June 2018

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.

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.