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

---

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

It’s a chemistry that has built a faith even amid Friday night’s immeasurably high hurdle, a faith that should persist beyond the framework of this finished first-round series.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026

Those growers are still waiting to receive their payments, with the final filing day pushed back to April 24, and no clear framework in place for how the payments will be doled out.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

Sanchez added that Spain supported "full cooperation with its allies, but always within the framework of international law."

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

“In the first quarter, we signed several framework agreements to accelerate and scale munitions production,” said Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet in a news release.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Corkers would proceed to draw the framework of the crossword on the blackboard and we would all spend the rest of the lesson trying to solve it while he read out the clues.

From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl

Related Words

• groundwork
• plan
• scheme
• structure