framework
Americannoun
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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.
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a skeletal structure designed to support or enclose something.
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a frame or structure composed of parts fitted and joined together.
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the construction of frames.
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work done in, on, or with a frame.
noun
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a structural plan or basis of a project
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a structure or frame supporting or containing something
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frames collectively
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work such as embroidery or weaving done in or on a frame
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of framework
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.
Vocabulary lists containing framework
The Scientific Method
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The ACT Science Test: The Scientific Method
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Scientific Investigation and Reasoning
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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.
The improved framework included the addition of a minimum of 14 weeks paid maternity leave for coaches, having previously been in place for just players.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
"There's no magic formula against the pressure-cooker effect," he said, but stressed that environmental farming practices offer a "framework" for adaptation that can be developed "in every region and every sector".
From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026
While news of a ceasefire agreement and a framework to reopen the Strait of Hormuz helped trim the average mortgage rate back to 6.47% last week, according to Freddie Mac, that decrease looks fragile.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
While Vance was praising a technical framework designed to facilitate a regional ceasefire, the president was threatening the total annihilation of his negotiating partners, completely undermining his vice president’s diplomatic messaging.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
And it is a history of the paradoxes posed by an innocent-looking number, rattling even this century’s brightest minds and threatening to unravel the whole framework of scientific thought.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
