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

If completed, the Power of Siberia 2 "would deepen that interdependence" while also signalling that Russia "is not isolated and can still execute major infrastructure projects", he added.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

But for other big tech companies, the need to spend on AI infrastructure is crowding out other priorities, including keeping shareholders sweet with buybacks.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Under the submitted plans, new buildings and infrastructure would be built there, which was predicted to treble the park's economic output to £3bn a year.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Utilities have attracted investment from infrastructure funds and private equity in recent years, and have been raising money for needed investments with at-the-market share sales.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

As they’d cut deep into the mountain, the miners had left large pillars and walls of stone to support the infrastructure.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• base
• framework