structure
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struc·ture
(strŭk′chər)n.
1. Something made up of a number of parts that are held or put together in a particular way: hierarchical social structure.
2. The way in which parts are arranged or put together to form a whole; makeup: triangular in structure.
3. The interrelation or arrangement of parts in a complex entity: political structure; plot structure.
4. Something constructed, such as a building.
5. Biology
a. The arrangement or formation of the tissues, organs, or other parts of an organism.
b. An organ or other part of an organism.
tr.v. struc·tured, struc·tur·ing, struc·tures
To give form or arrangement to: structure a curriculum; structure one's day.
[Middle English, the process of building, from Latin strūctūra, from strūctus, past participle of struere, to construct; see ster- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
structure
(ˈstrʌktʃə)n
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) biology morphology; form
5. (Chemistry) chem the arrangement of atoms in a molecule of a chemical compound: the structure of benzene.
6. (Geological Science) 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
vb
(tr) to impart a structure to
[C15: from Latin structūra, from struere to build]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
struc•ture
(ˈstrʌk tʃər)n., v. -tured, -tur•ing. n.
1. the manner in which something is constructed.
2. the manner in which the elements of anything are organized or interrelated: the structure of a poem; the structure of protein.
3. something constructed, as a building or bridge.
4. anything composed of organized or interrelated elements.
5. the construction and arrangement of body parts, tissues, or organs.
6.
a. the attitude of a bed or stratum or of beds or strata of sedimentary rocks, as indicated by the dip and strike.
b. the coarser composition of a rock, as contrasted with its texture.
7. the manner in which atoms in a molecule are joined to each other, esp. as represented in organic chemistry.
8. the pattern or system of beliefs, relationships, institutions, etc., in a social group or society.
v.t. 9. to give a structure to; organize.
[1400–50; late Middle English < Latin structūra=struct(us), past participle of struere to put together + -ūra -ure]
struc′ture•less, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
structure
Past participle: structured
Gerund: structuring
| Imperative |
|---|
| structure |
| structure |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  structure - a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts; "the structure consisted of a series of arches"; "she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons"airdock, hangar, repair shed - a large structure at an airport where aircraft can be stored and maintained altar - a raised structure on which gifts or sacrifices to a god are made arch - (architecture) a masonry construction (usually curved) for spanning an opening and supporting the weight above it area - a part of a structure having some specific characteristic or function; "the spacious cooking area provided plenty of room for servants" balcony - a platform projecting from the wall of a building and surrounded by a balustrade or railing or parapet balcony - an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium bascule - a structure or device in which one end is counterbalanced by the other (on the principle of the seesaw) boarding - a structure of boards body - the external structure of a vehicle; "the body of the car was badly rusted" bridge, span - a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc. building, edifice - a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place; "there was a three-story building on the corner"; "it was an imposing edifice" building complex, complex - a whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected or related structures catchment - a structure in which water is collected (especially a natural drainage area) coil, helix, volute, whorl, spiral - a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops; "a coil of rope" colonnade - structure consisting of a row of evenly spaced columns pillar, column - a vertical cylindrical structure standing alone and not supporting anything (such as a monument) quoin, corner - (architecture) solid exterior angle of a building; especially one formed by a cornerstone cross - a wooden structure consisting of an upright post with a transverse piece deathtrap - any structure that is very unsafe; where people are likely to be killed defensive structure, defence, defense - a structure used to defend against attack; "the artillery battered down the defenses" door - a structure where people live or work (usually ordered along a street or road); "the office next door"; "they live two doors up the street from us" entablature - (architecture) the structure consisting of the part of a classical temple above the columns between a capital and the roof erection - a structure that has been erected establishment - a public or private structure (business or governmental or educational) including buildings and equipment for business or residence false bottom - a horizontal structure that partitions a ship or box (especially one built close to the actual bottom) storey, floor, story, level - a structure consisting of a room or set of rooms at a single position along a vertical scale; "what level is the office on?" understructure, groundwork, substructure, base, foundation, fundament, foot - lowest support of a structure; "it was built on a base of solid rock"; "he stood at the foot of the tower" fountain - a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises guide - a structure or marking that serves to direct the motion or positioning of something cardcastle, cardhouse, card-house, house of cards - an unstable construction with playing cards; "he built three levels of his cardcastle before it collapsed" hull - the frame or body of ship jungle gym - a structure of vertical and horizontal rods where children can climb and play lamination - a layered structure landing place, landing - structure providing a place where boats can land people or goods lookout station, observation tower, observatory, lookout - a structure commanding a wide view of its surroundings masonry - structure built of stone or brick by a mason hill, mound - structure consisting of an artificial heap or bank usually of earth or stones; "they built small mounds to hide behind" impedimenta, obstruction, obstructor, obstructer, impediment - any structure that makes progress difficult |
| 2. | structure - the manner of construction of something and the arrangement of its parts; "artists must study the structure of the human body"; "the structure of the benzene molecule" infrastructure, substructure - the basic structure or features of a system or organization computer architecture, architecture - (computer science) the structure and organization of a computer's hardware or system software; "the architecture of a computer's system software" cytoarchitectonics, cytoarchitecture - the cellular composition of a bodily structure fabric, framework - the underlying structure; "providing a factual framework for future research"; "it is part of the fabric of society" physical composition, composition, make-up, makeup, constitution - the way in which someone or something is composed | |
| 3. | structure - the complex composition of knowledge as elements and their combinations; "his lectures have no structure" organization, arrangement, organisation, system - an organized structure for arranging or classifying; "he changed the arrangement of the topics"; "the facts were familiar but it was in the organization of them that he was original"; "he tried to understand their system of classification" pattern, form, shape - a perceptual structure; "the composition presents problems for students of musical form"; "a visual pattern must include not only objects but the spaces between them" sound structure, syllable structure, word structure, morphology - the admissible arrangement of sounds in words | |
| 4. |  structure - a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing; "he has good bone structure"layer - thin structure composed of a single thickness of cells apodeme - ridge-like ingrowth of the exoskeleton of an arthropod that supports internal organs and provides attachment points for muscles caliculus, calycle, calyculus - a small cup-shaped structure (as a taste bud or optic cup or cavity of a coral containing a polyp) tooth - toothlike structure in invertebrates found in the mouth or alimentary canal or on a shell pad - the fleshy cushion-like underside of an animal's foot or of a human's finger branchial cleft, gill cleft, gill slit - one of a series of slit openings in the pharynxes of fishes and aquatic amphibians through which water passes branchial arch, gill arch, gill bar - one of the bony or cartilaginous arches on each side of the pharynx that support the gills of fishes and aquatic amphibians peristome - region around the mouth in various invertebrates syrinx - the vocal organ of a bird body part - any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity bulb - a rounded dilation or expansion in a canal or vessel or organ carina - any of various keel-shaped structures or ridges such as that on the breastbone of a bird or that formed by the fused petals of a pea blossom cauda - any taillike structure chiasm, chiasma, decussation - an intersection or crossing of two tracts in the form of the letter X cingulum - (anatomy) an encircling structure (as the ridge around the base of a tooth) concha - (anatomy) a structure that resembles a shell in shape germ - a small apparently simple structure (as a fertilized egg) from which new tissue can develop into a complete organism infundibulum - any of various funnel-shaped parts of the body (but especially the hypophyseal stalk) interstice - a small structural space between tissues or parts of an organ; "the interstices of a network" landmark - an anatomical structure used as a point of origin in locating other anatomical structures (as in surgery) or as point from which measurements can be taken limbus - a border or edge of any of various body parts distinguished by color or structure rib - a riblike supporting or strengthening part of an animal or plant blade - a broad flat body part (as of the shoulder or tongue) radicle - (anatomy) a small structure resembling a rootlet (such as a fibril of a nerve) plexus, rete - a network of intersecting blood vessels or intersecting nerves or intersecting lymph vessels tube-shaped structure, tube - (anatomy) any hollow cylindrical body structure passageway, passage - a path or channel or duct through or along which something may pass; "the nasal passages" fundus - (anatomy) the base of a hollow organ or that part of the organ farthest from its opening; "the uterine fundus"; "the fundus of the stomach" funiculus - any of several body structure resembling a cord head - that part of a skeletal muscle that is away from the bone that it moves tooth root, root - the part of a tooth that is embedded in the jaw and serves as support capsule - a structure that encloses a body part uvea - the part of the eye that contains the iris and ciliary body and choroid lens nucleus, nucleus - the central structure of the lens that is surrounded by the cortex membranous labyrinth - the sensory structures of the inner ear including the labyrinthine receptors and the cochlea; contained within the bony labyrinth bony labyrinth, osseous labyrinth - cavity in the petrous part of the temporal bone that contains the membranous labyrinth alveolar bed - lung tissue densely packed with alveoli valve - a structure in a hollow organ (like the heart) with a flap to insure one-way flow of fluid through it vascular structure - a structure composed of or provided with blood vessels lacrimal apparatus - the structures that secrete and drain tears from the eye cytoskeleton - a microscopic network of actin filaments and microtubules in the cytoplasm of many living cells that gives the cell shape and coherence nucleolar organiser, nucleolar organizer, nucleolus organiser, nucleolus organizer - the particular part of a chromosome that is associated with a nucleolus after nuclear division centromere, kinetochore - a specialized condensed region of each chromosome that appears during mitosis where the chromatids are held together to form an X shape; "the centromere is difficult to sequence" aster - star-shaped structure formed in the cytoplasm of a cell having fibers like rays that surround the centrosome during mitosis | |
| 5. | structure - the people in a society considered as a system organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships; "the social organization of England and America is very different"; "sociologists have studied the changing structure of the family" society - an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization feudal system, feudalism - the social system that developed in Europe in the 8th century; vassals were protected by lords who they had to serve in war patriarchy, patriarchate - a form of social organization in which a male is the family head and title is traced through the male line matriarchate, matriarchy - a form of social organization in which a female is the family head and title is traced through the female line meritocracy - a form of social system in which power goes to those with superior intellects pluralism - a social organization in which diversity of racial or religious or ethnic or cultural groups is tolerated form of government, political system - the members of a social organization who are in power class structure - the organization of classes within a society separatism, segregation - a social system that provides separate facilities for minority groups | |
| Verb | 1. | structure - give a structure to; "I need to structure my days" reconstitute, restructure - construct or form anew or provide with a new structure; "After his accident, he had to restructure his life"; "The governing board was reconstituted" coordinate, organise, organize - bring order and organization to; "Can you help me organize my files?" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
structure
noun
1. arrangement, form, make-up, make, design, organization, construction, fabric, formation, configuration, conformation, interrelation of parts The chemical structure of this particular molecule is very unusual.
2. building, construction, erection, edifice, pile The house was a handsome four-storey brick structure.
verb
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
structure
nounverbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
بِناء، مَبْنىبِنْيَه، تَرْكيب، تَكْوينهَيْكِل
stavbastruktura
strukturkonstruktion
rakennerakennelmajärjestelmä
struktura
szerkezetszervezet
byggingbygging, byggingarlagbygging, mannvirki
構造
구조
sandarastruktūrastruktūrinisstruktūriškai
celtnekonstrukcijastruktūrauzbūve
ustrojzgradba
struktur
โครงสร้าง
cơ cấu
structure
[ˈstrʌktʃəʳ]A. N
1. (= organization, make-up) → estructura f
2. (= thing constructed) → construcción f
B. VT [+ essay, argument] → estructurar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
structure
[ˈstrʌktʃər] n
(= way sth is built, organized or made) [building, human body, cell, sentence, family, society, economy, company, essay, film, book] → structure f
(= building) → structure f
vt [+ essay, programme, course] → structurer
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
structure
n
(= organization) → Struktur f; (Liter) → Aufbau m; (Tech, of bridge, car etc) → Konstruktion f; bone structure → Knochenbau m
(= thing constructed) → Konstruktion f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
structure
[ˈstrʌktʃəʳ]1. n (gen) (Chem) (of building) → struttura; (building itself) → costruzione f, fabbricato
2. vt (essay, argument) → strutturare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
structure
(ˈstraktʃə) noun1. the way in which something is arranged or organized. A flower has quite a complicated structure; the structure of a human body.
2. a building, or something that is built or constructed. The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous structures in the world.
ˈstructural adjective of structure. You must get permission before making structural alterations to your house.
ˈstructurally adverbKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
structure
→ هَيْكِل struktura struktur Struktur δομή estructura rakenne structure struktura struttura 構造 구조 structuur struktur struktura estrutura структура struktur โครงสร้าง yapı cơ cấu 结构Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
struc·ture
n. estructura; orden.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012