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Synonyms

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.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing framework

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Critics say the domestic legal framework is not sufficient.

From Slate • May 27, 2026

The government has said it expects a new commonhold framework to be operating well before the end of the Parliament.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

News reports indicate the deal framework would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, allowing Persian Gulf crude to resume flowing through the waterway.

From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026

The rules and features of each are a lot for sleep-starved parents to untangle, but financial advisers have a general framework to help parents.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026

Working on a perfectly straight I beam more than sixty feet long, he constructed a delicate framework of spruce and northern ash.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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