framework

American  

[freym-wurk] / ˈfreɪmˌwɜrk /

noun

1. a basic structure, plan, or system, as of concepts, values, customs, or rules: The empire foundered, leaving its people in anarchy and lawlessness, as the framework of their society and culture collapsed around them.

   The bill, if passed, will provide a legal framework for privacy and data protection.

   The empire foundered, leaving its people in anarchy and lawlessness, as the framework of their society and culture collapsed around them.

2. a skeletal structure designed to support or enclose something.

3. a frame or structure composed of parts fitted and joined together.

4. the construction of frames.

5. work done in, on, or with a frame.

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framework British  

/ ˈfreɪmˌwɜːk /

noun

1. a structural plan or basis of a project

2. a structure or frame supporting or containing something

3. frames collectively

4. work such as embroidery or weaving done in or on a frame

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Other Word Forms

• underframework
  noun

Etymology

Origin of framework

First recorded in 1635–45; frame + work

Explanation

Framework refers to the initial structure of a building. If you ever wanted to walk through walls, you can get your chance when a new house has just the framework done, because the house will have walls with openings for windows and doors but no plaster or siding. From the literal meaning of framework — the initial structure of a building — English added figurative meanings. The noun framework, for example, can be any underlying structure something is built on, so you will see examples like: a framework for solving the problem, a framework for the computer program, and a framework for a new relationship.

Example Sentences

The goal is to collate all the agreed-upon ideas into one single-page framework, the officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Over time, this framework has been applied to everything from crystal formation and population dynamics to flame fronts and even machine learning.

From Science Daily • May 6, 2026

It is preparing a memo with a framework for more detailed negotiations, Axios reported, citing U.S. officials.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

In its report, Axios describes the memorandum as a one-page, 14-point memo which could set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Alongside this new framework, the printing press was transforming the nature of intellectual communities, the knowledge they could exchange, and the attitude to authority and to evidence that came naturally to them.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• groundwork
• plan
• scheme
• structure