substructure

[ suhb-struhk-cher, suhb-struhk- ]
See synonyms for substructure on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a structure forming the foundation of a building or other construction.

  2. the foundations, piers, and abutments upon which the trusses or girders of the spans of a bridge rest.

  1. any basic structure or organization.

Origin of substructure

1
First recorded in 1720–30; sub- + structure

Other words from substructure

  • sub·struc·tur·al, adjective

Words Nearby substructure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use substructure in a sentence

  • Early in September the first brick of my new National Opera-house, prior to the commencement of the substructure, was laid.

    The Mapleson Memoirs, vol I | James H. Mapleson
  • The street at this point is (or was) obviously supported upon a masonry substructure, upon which the houses abut.

    Thomas Hardy's Dorset | Robert Thurston Hopkins

British Dictionary definitions for substructure

substructure

/ (ˈsʌbˌstrʌktʃə) /


noun
  1. a structure, pattern, etc, that forms the basis of anything

  2. a structure forming a foundation or framework for a building or other construction

Derived forms of substructure

  • substructural, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012