frame

The word “frame” means a rigid structure that supports or surrounds something, such as a picture, window, or building. In plain terms, a supporting structure around something, or — as a verb — to build, present, or (informally) falsely blame someone.

“Frame” is pronounced FRAYM (/ˈfɹeɪ̯m/ in IPA).

Here is “frame” used in a sentence: “He hung the photo in a wooden frame.”

Depending on how it is used, “frame” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “frame” comes from Old English. From Old English framian ("to profit, advance"), related to the word "from"; the "structure" sense developed via the idea of building or fitting things together.

“Frame” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Frame” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a rigid structure that supports or surrounds something, such as a picture, window, or building.

A frame is usually a single physical structure that surrounds or supports one object, like a picture frame or window frame. A framework is broader and often abstract, meaning the underlying system of parts or ideas that hold something together, such as a legal framework or a software framework.

Frames appear in many forms. Picture frames border artwork, window and door frames hold glass and panels in a wall, and a building's frame is its load-bearing skeleton. Vehicles, bicycles, beds, and eyeglasses all have frames too, each providing shape, support, or a boundary.

A wooden picture frame is a classic example: it surrounds a photograph, protects its edges, and lets you hang it on a wall. Other everyday frames include a window frame holding the glass, a bicycle frame joining the wheels, and the timber or steel frame of a house.

A frame serves two main jobs: support and definition. It gives an object rigid structure so it holds its shape and bears weight, as in a building or bicycle. It also marks a boundary, surrounding and setting apart what it holds, the way a frame draws the eye to a picture.