framework

American  

[freym-wurk] / ˈfreɪmˌwɜrk /

noun

frameworks plural

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

Derived Forms

• underframework
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• frameworks
  plural

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

See Examples For:

framework frameworks

Xinghang Zhang, a professor in Purdue's School of Materials Engineering, is the corresponding author of the paper, titled "Plasticity in brittle intermetallics enabled by framework of amorphous interfaces and preexisting dislocations."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

"That's when the legal framework, and not just the technical safeguards, will be stress-tested."

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

It was selected for fast-tracking through the federal government’s new Major Projects Office, and was one of the first projects picked under the Ontario government’s One Project, One Process framework.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Trump and Netanyahu had been expected to discuss the implementation of a US-sponsored framework deal signed by Israel and Lebanon last month, whose application on the ground has been challenging.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

A long I beam stretched nearly the full length of the loft, and on it lay the framework of an eight-oared shell under construction.

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

The simulations showed that the frameworks of amorphous interfaces crystallized during deformation.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

Delangue said he hopes that legal frameworks are maintained to recognise this and to make sure that the companies that make mistakes leading to the hacks are "accountable."

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Rather than feed Chinese jurists bench books written by the climate plaintiffs’ bar, the group has run programs on using regulatory frameworks to address emissions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

“Those concerns should be addressed through targeted legal and commercial frameworks rather than sweeping restrictions on techniques that play an important role in AI innovation.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Pedagogically Sound: Including multiple perspectives and views on material not only enriches the curriculum content, but also provides radically different frameworks and paradigms to students on content.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

• groundwork
• plan
• scheme
• structure