substructure

[ suhb-struhk-cher, suhb-struhk- ]

/ sʌbˈstrʌk tʃər, ˈsʌbˌstrʌk- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for substructure on Thesaurus.com

noun

a structure forming the foundation of a building or other construction.

the foundations, piers, and abutments upon which the trusses or girders of the spans of a bridge rest.

any basic structure or organization.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of substructure

First recorded in 1720–30; sub- + structure

OTHER WORDS FROM substructure

sub·struc·tur·al, adjective

Words nearby substructure

substitutivity, substrate, substratosphere, substratum, substruction, substructure, subsulfate, subsume, subsumed, subsumption, subsurface

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use substructure in a sentence

Fatigue cracks in steel or shear cracks in concrete may be present, or scour may have removed substructure support.
A bridge too far: Jeffries doubles the number of ‘structurally deficient’ bridges|Glenn Kessler|November 18, 2021|Washington Post
Workers continued scraping and drilling into the substructure of the monument as darkness began to fall.
The statue of Robert E. Lee is gone, but the mystery of the time capsule persists|Gregory S. Schneider|September 9, 2021|Washington Post
It was pulled down in 1547, but the substructure was left standing, and some private houses were erected upon it.
The Cathedral Church of Canterbury [2nd ed.].|Hartley Withers
The side facing the north rested upon a solid substructure of hard blocks of hewn stone washed by the waves.
Arachne, Complete|Georg Ebers

It is indeed the foundation, the substructure of a plant, but not strictly the first thing that starts to grow.
Harper's Round Table, August 20, 1895|Various
Early in September the first brick of my new National Opera-house, prior to the commencement of the substructure, was laid.
The Mapleson Memoirs, vol I|James H. Mapleson
The street at this point is (or was) obviously supported upon a masonry substructure, upon which the houses abut.
Thomas Hardy's Dorset|Robert Thurston Hopkins

British Dictionary definitions for substructure

substructure

/ (ˈsʌbˌstrʌktʃə) /

noun

a structure, pattern, etc, that forms the basis of anything

a structure forming a foundation or framework for a building or other construction

Derived forms of substructure

substructural, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

substructure

Origin of substructure

OTHER WORDS FROM substructure

Words nearby substructure

Words related to substructure

How to use substructure in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for substructure

Derived forms of substructure