Meaning & use
structure
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The way parts are arranged, connected, or organized to make a whole.
Grammar: Uncountable for organization in general; countable for one arrangement or model.
Patterns
- structure of something
- clear or complex structure
- the structure of a sentence or essay
The structure of the essay was easy to follow.
Good soil structure helps roots grow.
We studied the structure of the local government.
nouncountabletechnical
Something built or made from connected parts, such as a building, bridge, tower, or framework.
Grammar: Always countable here; plural is structures.
Patterns
- a tall or steel structure
- support a structure
- build a structure
A temporary structure was built for the concert.
Engineers checked the structure after the storm.
The wooden structure held the roof in place.
nouncountable or uncountable
The organized system by which a group, society, company, or activity operates.
Grammar: Often uncountable for the general system; a structure can name one system.
Patterns
- power structure
- management structure
- change the structure of something
The company changed its management structure.
Power structure influenced every decision in the town.
School structure should help students, not confuse them.
Word forms
| plural | structures |
|---|
Common combinations
- sentence structure
- Clear sentence structure makes writing easier to read.
- social structure
- The novel examines social structure in a small town.
- steel structure
- A steel structure was chosen for the new station.
- structure and function
- Biology lessons often connect structure and function.
Synonyms and how they differ
- organization
- Broader and less physical; structure stresses how parts fit together.
- framework
- Suggests a supporting outline or skeleton rather than the complete arrangement.
- construction
- Can mean the act of building or the thing built; structure focuses on connected parts.
- arrangement
- Neutral about order or placement; structure implies a system that holds together.
Opposites
Word family
- structural adjective
- Relating to the parts that support or organize something.
- structurally adverb
- In a way that concerns structure or support.
- restructure verb
- To organize something again in a different way.
- infrastructure noun
- Basic systems such as roads, power, and communication that support a place.
Commonly confused: structure or stricture? structure or infrastructure?
structure vs stricture
A stricture is a criticism or a narrowing; structure means arrangement or framework.
structure vs infrastructure
Infrastructure is the base systems a place needs; structure is the general pattern of parts.
Practice
Choose the best completion: The report criticized the ___ of the school system.
Choose one answer.
Structure means the organized arrangement of a system. Stricture means severe criticism or narrowing, while fixture and posture are unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “structure”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.