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View synonyms for structure

structure

[ struhk-cher ]

noun

  1. mode of building, construction, or organization; arrangement of parts, elements, or constituents:

    a pyramidal structure.

    Synonyms: configuration, form, system

  2. something built or constructed, as a building, bridge, or dam.
  3. a complex system considered from the point of view of the whole rather than of any single part:

    the structure of modern science.

  4. anything composed of parts arranged together in some way; an organization.
  5. the relationship or organization of the component parts of a work of art or literature:

    the structure of a poem.

  6. Biology. mode of organization; construction and arrangement of tissues, parts, or organs.
  7. Geology.
    1. the attitude of a bed or stratum or of beds or strata of sedimentary rocks, as indicated by the dip and strike.
    2. the coarser composition of a rock, as contrasted with its texture.
  8. Chemistry. the manner in which atoms in a molecule are joined to each other, especially in organic chemistry where molecular arrangement is represented by a diagram or model.
  9. Sociology. social structure.
  10. the pattern of organization of a language as a whole or of arrangements of linguistic units, as phonemes, morphemes or tagmemes, within larger units.


verb (used with object)

, struc·tured, struc·tur·ing.
  1. to give a structure, organization, or arrangement to; construct or build a systematic framework for:

    to structure a curriculum so well that a novice teacher can use it.

structure

/ ˈstrʌktʃə /

noun

  1. a complex construction or entity
  2. the arrangement and interrelationship of parts in a construction, such as a building
  3. the manner of construction or organization

    the structure of society

  4. biology morphology; form
  5. chem the arrangement of atoms in a molecule of a chemical compound

    the structure of benzene

  6. geology the way in which a mineral, rock, rock mass or stratum, etc, is made up of its component parts
  7. rare.
    the act of constructing


verb

  1. tr to impart a structure to

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Other Words From

  • de·structure verb (used with object) destructured destructuring
  • inter·structure noun
  • non·structure noun
  • pre·structure verb (used with object) prestructured prestructuring

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Word History and Origins

Origin of structure1

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin structūra, equivalent to struct(us) (past participle of struere “to put together”) + -ūra noun suffix; -ure

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Word History and Origins

Origin of structure1

C15: from Latin structūra, from struere to build

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Synonym Study

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Example Sentences

Saltwater needs to be even colder than freshwater to freeze — cold enough that the salt gets pushed out of the water’s crystal structure.

That fixed structure and ratio gives the chemical a specific set of properties.

Drone imagery also picked up signs of two pits, one dug at or near each end of the semicircular structure.

Palantir has an unusual power structure, which has raised eyebrows from investors.

From Fortune

Essentially, you’ve got a part of grammar and you can reuse it in building a larger structure.

In front of this strange structure are two blank-faced, well-dressed models showing off the latest in European minimalism.

One blames black Americans as a race; the other, racism as a social structure.

This is not because of bad leaders, or polarized politics, but because of a governing structure that is fatally flawed.

And the chord structure, for those of you who play an instrument, is unexpected and worth checking out.

According to a military spokesperson, Boko Haram had built a “female wing” in its command structure.

But dwelling means a special kind of structure—a building occupied by man—a place to live in.

The building, a mosque-like structure of considerable size, was situated in the midst of a grove of mango trees.

I had no sooner stepped upon the frail structure when it suddenly and unaccountably gave way in the middle.

In ordinary work, however, it is safer to base the distinction upon size than upon structure.

They combine the fixing with the staining process, and stain differentially every normal and abnormal structure in the blood.

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structural unemploymentstructured