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.

---

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

Generic manufacturers can copy a small molecule’s chemical structure exactly and prove biological equivalence in a handful of studies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Reilly’s passing will not change the structure or current operations of the Clint Reilly Organization, Heist said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

In a conventional OPA, every antenna has an identical structure and uses the same pattern of corrugations.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

A growing crop of tech startups is now attempting to bring structure to the unregulated sector that employs some 30 million people, while allowing both workers and customers more flexibility.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

When the work at Los Alamos began in 1943, scientists understood the basic structure of atoms, the tiny particles that make up the matter all around us.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Other commitments include negotiating separate rate structures with utilities and states and coordinating with grid operators to prevent blackouts and power shortages.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

These insights may help researchers better understand the family systems and political structures that contributed to the emergence of early states in East Asia.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

Other structures found on the 40-acre spread include a heated workshop, a car shop, and three water wells.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

The island's isolation -- 2,000 kilometres east of the capital Jakarta -- has helped preserve these ancestral social structures.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

Up on the stage, a raised platform slid out, along with two large wooden structures.

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

However, sources close to the ownership group say the investment model, which makes use of third-party loan providers, is highly structured, common among elite sports organisations and focused on long-term sustainability.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

“What was the relationship between personal fear of oldness and the ways in which oldness was structured in society?” she asks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Their conversation explores how Trump makes decisions, how his government is structured, and the fundamentally different way he experiences his second term compared to his first.

From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026

“It’s just inherently not structured well,” said Sean Eddy, a professor of molecular and cellular biology who was on the Workforce Planning committee.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

She learns teamwork and how to cope in highly structured settings.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

In one direct threat, OpenAI is building a platform for connecting and structuring data that some said competes with Palantir, staffed in part by ex-Palantir employees, people familiar with the matter said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 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

"It enables rapid structuring of hydrogels in the sub-micrometer range," she says.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 3, 2026

He was asked by liana Bouzali, Morgan Stanley’s global head of derivatives, distribution and structuring, how he would construct a hedge-fund portfolio from scratch today.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 28, 2026

He runs his fingers through his hair, structuring it just so.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

Related Words

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