noun
structure
STRUHK-shuh
noun
1
A building or other physical construction made of connected parts.
"The old barn was a wooden structure held up by thick beams."
"Engineers inspected the structure after the earthquake."
2
The way in which the parts of something are organized or arranged.
"The structure of the novel alternates between two timelines."
"A company’s management structure shapes how decisions get made."
verb
1
To arrange or organize something according to a plan.
"She structured her presentation around three main arguments."
"The course is structured to build skills week by week."
How to Use Structure
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a built thing (like a building) or the way something is organized and put together.
Common pairings
organizational structure
sentence structure
structure a deal
Word Forms
structured past tense, structures plural, structures singular
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The old barn was a wooden _____ held up by thick beams.
Etymology
From Middle French structure, from Latin structura ("a building" or "a fitting together"), from struere ("to pile up, build") — the same root behind construct and instruct.