Definition of INFRASTRUCTURE (original) (raw)

1

: the system of public works of a country, state, or region

also : the resources (such as personnel, buildings, or equipment) required for an activity

2

: the underlying foundation or basic framework (as of a system or organization)

3

: the permanent installations required for military purposes

infrastructural

adjective

Did you know?

Infra- means "below;" so the infrastructure is the "underlying structure" of a country and its economy, the fixed installations that it needs in order to function. These include roads, bridges, dams, the water and sewer systems, railways and subways, airports, and harbors. These are generally government-built and publicly owned. Some people also speak about such things as the intellectual infrastructure or the infrastructure of science research, but the meaning of such notions can be extremely vague.

Synonyms

Examples of infrastructure in a Sentence

More money is needed to save the crumbling infrastructure of the nation's rural areas. We need to spend more money on maintaining and repairing infrastructure.

Recent Examples on the Web But subway riders have to traipse through roads and grassy patches of business park land to get to some of those locations, as most of the current infrastructure there is built for car commuters. —Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 25 June 2024 Jak Crawford, a 19-year-old Formula 2 driver for the DAMS Lucas Oil team and a young driver for Aston Martin Aramco F1 team this season, is partnering with IES Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: IESC), an electric, technology systems and infrastructure provider. —Asli Pelit, Sportico.com, 25 June 2024 Climate Change and the Criminal Justice System Climate change will affect prison infrastructure, the kinds of crimes committed, and defense arguments made in court, according to one legal scholar. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024 Musk has highlighted Tesla’s significant investment in AI hardware and its commitment to technological advancements and infrastructure. —Detroit Free Press, 22 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for infrastructure

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'infrastructure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of infrastructure was in 1927

Dictionary Entries Near infrastructure

Cite this Entry

“Infrastructure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infrastructure. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on infrastructure

Last Updated: 29 Jun 2024 - Updated example sentences

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Merriam-Webster unabridged