Meaning & use
framers
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“framers” is a form of “framer”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounpluralAmerican
The people who designed and wrote the founding rules of a country, especially the authors of the US Constitution.
Grammar: Usually capitalized as the Framers when referring to the US Constitution.
Patterns
- the framers of something
The framers of the Constitution wanted to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful.
Historians debate what the framers intended in the amendment.
The framers met in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787.
nounplural
Workers who build the wooden skeleton of a house or building, or who make frames for pictures.
Grammar: Plural of framer, a trade word.
Patterns
- framers of something
The framers finished the walls of the new house in a week.
Two framers carried the long beams up the ladder.
Local framers can build a custom frame for the painting.
nounplural
People who shape how an issue is described or understood, deciding what to emphasize.
Grammar: Used in media and politics: framers of a debate.
Patterns
- framers of something
The framers of the campaign chose a hopeful message.
Media framers influence how people see the debate.
Political framers try to define the problem before the other side can.
Word forms
| singular | framer |
|---|
Common combinations
- the framers of the Constitution
- The framers of the Constitution feared concentrated power.
- original intent of the framers
- Judges sometimes discuss the original intent of the framers.
- skilled framers
- Skilled framers kept the walls straight.
- framers of the law
- The framers of the law could not foresee the internet.
- picture framers
- Picture framers can cut glass to size.
Synonyms and how they differ
- founders
- Founders is wider and covers anyone who starts a nation or organization, while Framers focuses on those who wrote its structure.
- drafters
- Drafters writes a text such as a law, while framers also suggests designing the whole system.
- carpenters
- Carpenters do many kinds of woodwork, while framers build only the structural frame.
- architects
- Architects design buildings or plans, while framers build the wooden structure.
Word family
Commonly confused: framers or framers vs. founders?
framers vs framers vs. founders
Framers wrote the rules, whereas founders created the nation or group, and in American usage some founders were framers.
Practice
The ___ of the Constitution met in Philadelphia in 1787 to write the document.
Choose one answer.
Framers is the plural noun meaning the people who wrote it. Framing and frame do not name the group, and frames is the wrong noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “framers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.