scaffolding

noun

scaf·​fold·​ing ˈska-fəl-diŋ 

-ˌfōl-

1

: a system of scaffolds

… photographers were allowed, three at a time, to ascend the elaborate scaffolding …

—Eric Scigliano

also : material for scaffolds

2

: a support system or structure likened to a system of scaffolds

… in his readings and talks with authors, he is seeking theoretical scaffolding for his actions …

—John F. Dickerson

especially, education : a system or framework of support provided by an instructor to help a student reach the next level of learning

By identifying the next skills just above the child's current skill level, then providing scaffolding (or assistance) in a way that helps the child display the identified skills accurately, and then fading out the need for scaffolding, you can help a child to learn new things and become more independent.

—Heather Gilmore

Teachers should look for tools that help them easily adjust instructional scaffolding from assignment to assignment and from student to student—allowing them to meet students where they are as they learn to write for authentic audiences.

—Troy Hicks

Examples of scaffolding in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, as Venezuela’s political order convulses after the capture of strongman Nicolás Maduro and Washington ramps up pressure on Havana, that scaffolding is starting to buckle under pressure. —Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026

Those options can be plates and screws, a titanium rod through the middle of the bone, which is locked in place with screws, and a circular frame which acts as a kind of scaffolding system for the leg, holding it in place with wires and pins. —Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026

Its exterior is flanked by construction cranes and scaffolding. —Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026

Four construction workers were hospitalized after a scaffolding collapse in West Palm Beach Thursday morning, according to police. —Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

scaffolding

noun

scaf·​fold·​ing ˈskaf-əl-diŋ 

-ˌōl-

1

: a system of scaffolds

2

: materials for scaffolds