structure

American  

[struhk-cher] / ˈstrʌk tʃər /

noun

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

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

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has structured
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have structured
  perfect
• have been structuring
  perfect progressive
• has been structuring
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am structuring
  progressive 1st person singular
• structures
  singular 3rd person
• are structuring
  progressive
• structuring
  participle
• is structuring
  progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had structured
  perfect
• was structuring
  progressive singular
• structured
  simple
• had been structuring
  perfect progressive
• were structuring
  progressive plural
• structured
  participle

Future

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

Yet a lean structure alone won’t make a company agile.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

After the dismal winter, the retained management structure needed any sort of victory to begin to justify the faith that has been shown in them.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Under the new structure, many smaller or less widely represented faith traditions are grouped into broader categories.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026

The structure, designed by Maybe Paris with Hermès creative director Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski, was built from scratch and took three weeks to build.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

To her right, the guiamala—now abandoned—trotted in nervous circles until it knocked down the tent’s central pole and the whole structure gave an ominous shudder.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Related Words

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