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

Alone, the tax would fund freeways (40.5%), bus transit and bus rapid transit (33.5%), and major roadways and regional transportation infrastructure (22.5%). —Coleby Phillips, The Arizona Republic, 6 Nov. 2024

Benson hopes to listen to his constituents, support the police and prioritize infrastructure. —Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 6 Nov. 2024

Preparing for the bitter cold months ahead Last winter, damage to energy infrastructure left around 7 million children in Ukraine without electricity, heating and water. —Unicef Usa, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Zalando, which has taken a page out of Amazon’s playbook to build infrastructure, software and services for brands and other retailers’ e-commerce, saw B2B revenues jump to 239.7 million euros year-over-year. —Rhonda Richford, WWD, 5 Nov. 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