scaffold

noun

scaf·fold | \ ˈska-fəld also -ˌfōld

Definition of scaffold

1a : a temporary or movable platform for workers (such as bricklayers, painters, or miners) to stand or sit on when working at a height above the floor or ground

b : a platform on which a criminal is executed (as by hanging or beheading)

c : a platform at a height above ground or floor level

2 : a supporting framework

Examples of scaffold in a Sentence

The condemned man was led to the scaffold.

Recent Examples on the Web

MakerBot has been selling machines with multiple extruders since 2012, for instance — so one extruder can print an object with ordinary plastic filament, and another can lay down a support scaffold that dissolves in water. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, "MakerBot’s new 3D printer shows how much it’s changed in nine years," 11 Dec. 2018 What the report shows is a pattern of episcopal behavior akin to a scaffold of their own making. — C.c. Pecknold, WSJ, "The Catholic Bishops Who Failed Us All," 16 Aug. 2018 While still in development, Archinaut technology is expected to be able to construct scaffolds and radio dishes entirely in the vacuum of space. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Small Satellites Could 3D-Print Their Own Solar Arrays In Space," 9 Aug. 2018 More soldiers held back a mob gathered on a central St. Petersburg parade ground, where five coffins waited behind a black scaffold. — Eva Sohlman, New York Times, "Overlooked No More: The Russian Icon Who Was Hanged for Killing a Czar," 30 May 2018 Pors then seeded this scaffold with immature human or mouse follicles and grafted the complex into female mice. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "How Artificial Ovaries Could Expand Fertility Options For Chemo Patients," 5 July 2018 Rotator cuff repairs now include use of specialized grafts laid on top of the tendon to create a scaffold to the bone. — Trihealth, Cincinnati.com, "Don’t shoulder the pain," 10 July 2018 Next to it, the blue scaffolds of an indoor crane resemble a launchpad gantry. — Sarah Scoles, WIRED, "Inside the Test Chamber for NASA's Astronaut Vehicle Double," 12 July 2018 The diagonal beams are like a scaffold that holds in place the condominiums and offices and elevator stacks within. — John King, SFChronicle.com, "New nimble, frisky SoMa tower fits neatly into surroundings," 6 July 2018

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