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Meaning & use

framer

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈfreɪmə/
US/ˈfreɪmər/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    Someone who helped design and write the basic rules of a constitution, law or agreement.

    Grammar: Often plural and capitalized, the Framers, for the writers of the U.S. Constitution.

    Patterns

    • a framer of something
    • the framers of something

    The framers of the constitution wanted to limit executive power.

    Historians debate what the framers really intended.

    She is one of the framers of the new treaty.

  2. nouncountable

    A person who makes picture frames or puts pictures into frames as a job.

    Grammar: A trade word: a picture framer.

    The framer suggested a thin black border for the print.

    We took the poster to a framer on Main Street.

    A skilled framer can make a cheap print look like an expensive one.

  3. nouncountablespecialist

    A builder who constructs the wooden skeleton of a house.

    Grammar: A construction trade word: a house framer.

    The framer finished the walls in two days.

    A crew of framers arrived at dawn.

    He worked as a framer before becoming a site manager.

Word forms

pluralframers

Common combinations

the Framers of the Constitution
The Framers of the Constitution met in Philadelphia.
the framers' intent
Judges sometimes argue about the framers' intent.
a picture framer
A picture framer matted the watercolor.
a skilled framer
We hired a skilled framer for the extension.

Synonyms and how they differ

drafter
A drafter writes the first version of a text, while framer stresses shaping its basic structure.
author
Author is general and can refer to any text, whereas framer points to founding rules and principles.
architect
Architect is used figuratively for the mind behind a plan, but framer is tied to a specific document or structure.
founder
A founder starts a nation or organization, while framer only describes those who wrote its basic rules.

Word family

frame verb
to shape or support, or to put in a frame
frame noun
a structure that supports or surrounds something
framework noun
a basic structure of rules or ideas
framing noun
the act of building a frame, or the way an issue is presented

Commonly confused: framer or Founder?

framer vs Founder

The Founders created the country, while the Framers specifically wrote the Constitution; the groups overlap but the words are not interchangeable.

Practice

Which phrase correctly refers to the people who wrote the U.S. Constitution?

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