framework

American  

[fraym-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

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Etymology

Origin of framework

First recorded in 1635–45; frame + work

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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

County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission and Office of Inspector General to create a framework for identifying deputy gangs and secret groups within the department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2026

The framework being proposed includes security consultations and crisis communications hotlines, as well as "reciprocal de-escalation measures" between the two.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

Once the framework is assembled, the robot is designed to attach a thin reflective film containing many tiny openings.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026

The BOC and the country’s finance department agreed to renew the central bank’s inflation-targeting framework for another five years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Each was connected within an intricate framework of oddly-angled corridors and intersecting staircases that wound from the belly of the building to its deepest depths to the crown of its sky-viewer and back again.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

“Over 90% of the company’s investments in the coming years will be in regulated businesses, underpinned by robust frameworks that offer a high degree of earnings and cash-flow visibility,” the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Yet, the technology underpinning autonomous warfare risks outpacing the Russian and Ukrainian frameworks for maintaining some degree of human control over weapons.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026

Physicists have spent decades trying to combine these frameworks into a single description of nature.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

The department said it was also reviewing policies and frameworks covering staff conduct, acceptable use and its fraud response plan.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 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

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Related Words

• groundwork
• plan
• scheme
• structure

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