infrastructure

American  

[in-fruh-struhk-cher] / ˈɪn frəˌstrʌk tʃər /

noun

1. the fundamental facilities and systems serving a country, city, or area, as transportation and communication systems, power plants, and schools.

   Investments in infrastructure helped the U.S. economy recover from the Great Depression.

2. the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organization.

   Over the years, as the incidence of cancer increased, the infrastructure of the hospital was developed to accommodate the new cases.

   Synonyms:

   support, foundation, basis

3. the military installations of a country.

   We could do much with just a fraction of the billions spent to maintain our robust overseas infrastructure.

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infrastructure British  

/ ˈɪnfrəˌstrʌktʃə /

noun

1. the basic structure of an organization, system, etc

2. the stock of fixed capital equipment in a country, including factories, roads, schools, etc, considered as a determinant of economic growth

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Other Word Forms

• infrastructural adjective

Etymology

Origin of infrastructure

First recorded in 1925–30; infra + structure

Example Sentences

Biden began his term getting Congress to work together to pass a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill.

From Salon

His speech is peppered with references to “infrastructure improvements” and “subdivision maps” and also to the peculiar challenges created by Pacific Lumber’s building.

From Los Angeles Times

Better models could help estimate how strong shaking might be, while also guiding infrastructure design, early warning systems, and rapid emergency response planning.

From Science Daily

Industrials look like an indirect AI play, since they act as suppliers to utility companies and others helping build out AI infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal

French technology giant Thales, has a substantial defence business, but also works across cybersecurity and critical national infrastructure more broadly.

From BBC

Related Words

• base
• framework