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

Councillor Ken Gowans, chair of the economy and infrastructure committee, said he was "disappointed" to see continued cases of bad behaviour.

From BBC

The industry source told AFP that the need to import raw materials, the high energy costs and limited infrastructure mean the country cannot be entirely self-sufficient in medicine production.

From Barron's

Thomas Watters, managing director and sector lead for oil and gas at research firm S&P Global Ratings, says US firms have the ability to repair Venezuela's infrastructure, but it has to make economic sense.

From BBC

But despite plans for large-scale infrastructure and grand ambitions for innovation, experts say the country still has a long way to go before it can rival the United States and China.

From Barron's

Tech giants are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure, building data centres packed with cutting-edge microchips, and also, in some cases, nuclear plants to power them.

From Barron's

Related Words

• base
• framework