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

Albertsons is now starting a review of its business to speed up improvements in its performance, and “tackle even harder a cost structure we can no longer afford,” Morris said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Mammals have a more elaborate hyoid structure that allows them to swallow even when gravity is working against them.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

The firm was looking at releasing a new server-memory product based on the structure by the end of the year, the reports said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

But the blighted, white-painted structure stood for more than a decade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

When it reaches a structure that resembles a silo, it pushes a lever, and the top pops up.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

According to standard cosmological models, the growth of massive structures should have been more gradual, making such a concentrated cluster particularly surprising at this early stage of cosmic history.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Applying these materials to mitochondria presents a major challenge because the structures are extremely delicate and can easily lose their ability to function properly.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Some match familiar anatomical structures, while others expose chemical boundaries that previous approaches had overlooked.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

This pattern suggests that smaller, more adaptable structures within the genome may be especially responsive to major genetic rearrangements.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

Then came the mechanism by which an organism determines where these structures are to be placed: front or back, left or right, above or below.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

He said the measures had been structured to allow other countries to negotiate a possible solution.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

That means retailers will need to ensure their product data is structured and complete enough for an agent to understand and compare, Kim added.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office has called for "peaceful" gatherings, calling for a return to "a structured, legal and democratic form of opposition".

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Our dynamic is structured as I’m the visionary, he’s the executor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 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

Companies are structuring chip and electricity purchases as future leases rather than owned assets, so the liabilities don’t show up on the balance sheet.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

I’d love to hear any practical suggestions for structuring this so that it is easy for the restaurant, seamless for the staff and customers, and doesn’t create unnecessary headaches for anyone.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

She and her husband hold money meetings, and she shared how they think about structuring a family office.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 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

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