noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A support structure comprising joined parts or conglomerated particles and intervening open spaces of similar or larger size. literally
2. 2
   a structure supporting or containing something wordnet
3. 3
   The arrangement of support beams that represent a building's general shape and size. literally
4. 4
   the underlying structure wordnet
5. 5
   The larger branches of a tree that determine its shape. figuratively

Show 4 more definitions

6. 6
   a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process wordnet
7. 7
   A basic conceptual structure. figuratively

   "These ‘three principles of connexion’ compose the framework of principles in Hume's account of the association of ideas."

8. 8
   A reusable piece of code (and, sometimes, other utilities) providing a standard environment within which an application can be implemented.
9. 9
   An established and structured system of rules and principles used for analyzing and describing the structure of a language.

Synonyms

All synonyms

angleangle of visionanschauungbasebasiscadre

Example

More examples

"The building will be made of concrete on a steel framework."

Etymology

From frame + work.

Related phrases

framework agreementframework directiveframework knitterframework lawframework silicateinstitutional frameworkmetal-organic frameworkreference frameworkregulatory frameworkviewpoints framework

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.