structure

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A cohesive whole built up of distinct parts.

   • The birds had built an amazing structure out of sticks and various discarded items.
   • Built in the 1980s, the country’s Scott Base consists of 12 structures that officials want replaced by three large, interconnected buildings, plus a separate helicopter hangar.
2. 2

   The underlying shape of a solid.

   • He studied the structure of her face.
3. 3

   The overall form or organization of something.

   • The structure of a sentence.
   • The structure of the society was still a mystery.
4. ›+ 6 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      A set of rules defining behaviour.

      • For some, the structure of school life was oppressive.
   2. 5

      Several pieces of data treated as a unit.

      • This structure contains both date and timezone information.
   3. 6

      Underwater terrain or objects (such as a dead tree or a submerged car) that tend to…

      Underwater terrain or objects (such as a dead tree or a submerged car) that tend to attract fish

      • There's lots of structure to be fished along the west shore of the lake; the impoundment submerged a town there when it was built.
   4. 7

      A body, such as a political party, with a cohesive purpose or outlook.

      • The South African leader went off to consult with the structures.
   5. 8

      A set along with a collection of finitary functions and relations.

   6. 9

      To give structure to

      To give structure to; to arrange.

      • I'm trying to structure my time better so I'm not always late.
      • I've structured the deal to limit the amount of money we can lose.

The neighborhood