structure

American  

[struhk-cher] / ˈstrʌk tʃər /

noun

• structures
  plural

1. mode of building, construction, or organization; arrangement of parts, elements, or constituents.

   a pyramidal structure.

   Synonyms:

   configuration, form, system

2. something built or constructed, as a building, bridge, or dam.

3. a complex system considered from the point of view of the whole rather than of any single part.

   the structure of modern science.

4. anything composed of parts arranged together in some way; an organization.

5. the relationship or organization of the component parts of a work of art or literature.

   the structure of a poem.

6. Biology. mode of organization; construction and arrangement of tissues, parts, or organs.

7. Geology.

   1. the attitude of a bed or stratum or of beds or strata of sedimentary rocks, as indicated by the dip and strike.

   2. the coarser composition of a rock, as contrasted with its texture.

8. Chemistry. the manner in which atoms in a molecule are joined to each other, especially in organic chemistry where molecular arrangement is represented by a diagram or model.

9. Sociology. social structure.

10. the pattern of organization of a language as a whole or of arrangements of linguistic units, as phonemes, morphemes or tagmemes, within larger units.

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verb (used with object)

• structures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• structured,
  past participle,  past
• structuring
  present participle

1. to give a structure, organization, or arrangement to; construct or build a systematic framework for.

   to structure a curriculum so well that a novice teacher can use it.

structure British  

/ ˈstrʌktʃə /

noun

1. a complex construction or entity

2. the arrangement and interrelationship of parts in a construction, such as a building

3. the manner of construction or organization

   the structure of society

4. biology morphology; form

5. chem the arrangement of atoms in a molecule of a chemical compound

   the structure of benzene

6. geology the way in which a mineral, rock, rock mass or stratum, etc, is made up of its component parts

7. rare the act of constructing

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verb

1. (tr) to impart a structure to

Synonym Usage

See building.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interstructure
  noun
• nonstructure
  noun
• destructure
  verb (used with object)
• prestructure
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• structures
  plural

Participles

• structuring
  present
• structured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• structure
  simple
• structures
  simple
• have structured
  perfect
• has structured
  perfect
• am structuring
  progressive
• are structuring
  progressive
• is structuring
  progressive
• have been structuring
  perfect progressive
• has been structuring
  perfect progressive

Past

• structured
  simple
• had structured
  perfect
• was structuring
  progressive
• were structuring
  progressive
• had been structuring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will structure
  simple
• will have structured
  perfect
• will be structuring
  progressive
• will have been structuring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of structure

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin structūra, equivalent to struct(us) (past participle of struere “to put together”) + -ūra noun suffix; see -ure

Explanation

A structure is something of many parts that is put together. A structure can be a skyscraper, an outhouse, your body, or a sentence. Structure is from the Latin word structura which means "a fitting together, building." Although it's certainly used to describe buildings, it can do more than that. A family's structure includes the relationship of its members, your body structure can refer to how your muscles and bones fit together. Sentence structure is how a sentence is put together, including subjects, verbs, and all that stuff English teachers love to yap about. Structure is usually a noun, but it can also be a verb meaning to impose order, like if you "structure an argument to convince your parents to let you stay out later."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

structure structures structured structuring

Technicians also have to determine whether termites are still present and where inside a structure the active colony is located.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

While female curves and volumes offer her a traditional dressmaking structure, women in the present tense, ego and id, are not part of this vision.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

The Department of Building and Safety also red-tagged portions of a damaged structure — a vacated commercial building, Lantz said — at the base of the hill.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

They say the Tatas have a unique operating structure where the majority shareholder is a charity which uses dividends received from commercial arms to fund hospitals, universities and research.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

It stood alone, unattached to any other structure.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

It helps form insect exoskeletons, fungal cell walls, fish scales, and structures such as the beaks of squids and octopi.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

To Mr. Warrack, the ancient constructions he has helped restore are more than inert structures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

That is just one example; the strategy has varying structures and rules that set the path of potential outcomes.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

This year's winning video was magnified to 100 times in size, and featured tiny hair-like structures, called cilia, in the airways of a child with a rare genetic disease.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

It looked like chaos at first—buildings and homes and roadways and other unknown structures all jostling for this tiny parcel of forty-nine square miles.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

The intention is that all officers will now undergo a career-long, structured regime of on-going vetting.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

At its founding in 2015, OpenAI was structured to ensure that researchers, and not investors, would have the final say on how the technology was deployed, with safety for humanity the guiding philosophy.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

The Grand Slams and players are now working out how the council will be selected and structured, with further details expected soon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

The strongest benefits were seen among participants who received more structured guidance, including regular coaching and support.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

Hence a large society must be structured and centralized if it is to reach decisions effectively.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

A renter generation is emerging in America, composed of younger people who are renting longer and structuring their financial lives without the traditional pillar of home ownership.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Her way of structuring assets is to move everything to the well spouse.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

They fired the marketing department and put John in charge of everything, structuring things to bring creativity into all aspects of the company.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Prosecutors charged Thola-Duran with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, to receive and transport stolen property interstate, and to commit money laundering, and structuring transactions to avoid federal financial reporting requirements.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026

But all of this intricate structuring was hidden.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• architecture
• arrangement
• complex
• construction
• design
• format
• formation
• framework
• network
• organization
• system