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

Explanation

The infrastructure is the basic foundation or underlying framework of an organization or system. In your house, the infrastructure is the system of beams, weight-bearing walls and the foundation that keeps it standing. Infrastructure often refers to the equipment and structures required by the military or by a country or region. Roads, bridges, and school buildings are part of our nation's infrastructure, and are necessary for the continued growth of our communities. This word was formed as a compound in English, using the prefix infra- "below, underneath."

Example Sentences

Europe looks far more susceptible to higher energy prices and its much-vaunted defense spending and infrastructure buildout has been slower than Pinder envisaged.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026

Parallel said it has over 100,000 developers using its infrastructure, including AI-native startups and enterprises.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

It is the cornerstone of the company’s pivot under the leadership of executive chairman Larry Ellison from software toward providing AI infrastructure services.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

Most rail infrastructure in Wales is the responsibility of the UK government.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

The machine strained the technological infrastructure of Altar, which had electricity for only six hours a day.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• base
• framework