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

In the Odesa region, Izmail district officials reported another Russian attack, again targeting critical infrastructure sites.

From Barron's

So far, the US has hit more than 100 "infrastructure and weapons site targets", using 200 precision munitions, according to Centcom.

From BBC

To compete in the AI revolution, Big Tech companies are focused on building out as much AI data-center infrastructure as possible.

From MarketWatch

Pictures show him at the opening of schools, or transport and mining infrastructure or cycling through the streets of the capital, Conakry.

From BBC

The county is seeking compensation for destroyed infrastructure and parks, as well as for cleanup and recovery efforts, lost taxes and overtime for county workers.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• base
• framework