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

"We will have to find a societal norm, a framework for the use of these products."

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

That framework was reassuring to me because it doesn’t require pretending that your 20s are just one long savings challenge.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

Adapting the teaching framework of American universities will be a noisy and fraught affair.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

In a new study, the researchers created a mathematical framework designed to determine when variation, which scientists often describe as disorder, can actually make a network more stable.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

Conceptual framework: National Core Arts Standards: A conceptual framework for arts learning.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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

The focus now shifts to federal regulators who are working on their own frameworks to develop industry regulation and have expressed their willingness to accommodate crypto products in the mainstream financial system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 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

Modern physics rests on two remarkably successful frameworks.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 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