frames
frames — noun
1. a person's or animal's body, especially when describing its size, shape, or phys
a person's or animal's body, especially when describing its size, shape, or physical strength.
Eitan has a large frame, so he needs jackets in a bigger size.
possessive: 'has a [adjective] frame'
The dog's small frame made it easy for the children to lift.
possessive noun: 'dog's small frame'
Zola's slender frame was perfect for the lightweight rowing team.
A sturdy frame helps older adults stay active without injury.
Jiwoo admired the horse's powerful frame as it ran across the field.
animal's body: 'horse's powerful frame'
- large frame
- small frame
- slender frame
- sturdy frame
- powerful frame
Grammar Patterns
a [adjective] frame
somebody's/something's frame
Usage Note
Often paired with an adjective (slender, large, sturdy, powerful) to describe build. Usually singular when referring to one person's physique.
Common Mistakes
2. the inner structural skeleton of a building, vehicle, or object that bears weigh
the inner structural skeleton of a building, vehicle, or object that bears weight and gives the whole thing its basic shape.
The steel frames of the new bridge were put in place last week.
material + structure: 'steel frames'
Cole checked the frame of the old wooden chair for cracks.
possessive: 'frame of [object]'
The tent's metal frame bent under the weight of the snow.
Workers built the frame of the house before adding the walls and roof.
A bicycle frame can be made from aluminum, steel, or carbon fibers.
material options: 'made from [material]'
- steel frame
- wooden frame
- metal frame
- frame of the building
- bicycle frame
Grammar Patterns
the frame of [something]
[material] frame
Usage Note
Refers to the internal load-bearing skeleton of an object, not an external border or case. Common in construction, engineering, and vehicle contexts.
Common Mistakes
3. the two holders, one around each lens, that keep the lenses in place on a pair o
the two holders, one around each lens, that keep the lenses in place on a pair of spectacles, with side pieces that rest on the ears.
Mira chose round black frames for her new reading glasses.
adjective + shape + color: 'round black frames'
The frames of Lucía's sunglasses broke when she dropped them on the floor.
Zayd cleaned the lenses carefully without scratching the plastic frames.
material: 'plastic frames'
Thick black frames are popular among students at school this year.
Ritu's metal frames left small marks on the sides of her nose.
possessive + material: 'Ritu's metal frames'
Eli chose round, black-rimmed frames that suited his face perfectly.
appearance-focused: adjective + frames
Every morning, Yuki cleans her glasses frames with a soft, damp cloth.
collocation: glasses frames
- plastic frames
- metal frames
- black frames
- round frames
- frame of the glasses
- thick frames
- thin frames
- spectacle frame
more formal, used mainly by opticians or in technical descriptions
- eyeglass frame
slightly more formal than 'frames' on its own
- rims
informal, focuses on the outer edge of the lens holder
Grammar Patterns
[adjective] frames
pair of frames
the frames of [possessive] glasses
Usage Note
Almost always used in the plural form when referring to the pair (two lens holders as a set). The singular "frame" usually refers to a picture frame or a structural framework, not one side of a pair of glasses.
Common Mistakes
4. a border made of wood, metal, or plastic that goes around a picture, mirror, or
a border made of wood, metal, or plastic that goes around a picture, mirror, or photograph to decorate or support it.
Inês bought a silver frame for the wedding photograph on the table.
material + purpose: 'silver frame for [object]'
The old wooden frame around the painting was covered in gold paint.
'frame around [object]'
Pim hung the mirror in a heavy black frame above the fireplace.
Jisoo found matching frames for the two family photographs on the shelf.
The antique frame needs new glass to protect the old watercolor inside.
'antique frame' — age/material as descriptor
- picture frame
- photo frame
- mirror frame
- wooden frame
- silver frame
- frame around
Grammar Patterns
a [material] frame
frame around [something]
picture/mirror/photo frame
Usage Note
Unlike sense 2 (structural framework), this sense is specifically about decorative or protective borders for images. Countable; often used with 'picture', 'photo', 'mirror' as a compound noun.
Common Mistakes
5. a single, still picture among the many that play in order to create a film, vide
a single, still picture among the many that play in order to create a film, video, or animation.
The film editor reviewed each frame before putting the scene together.
countable + determiner: 'each frame'
Pim paused the video at the exact frame where the bird took off.
That single frame from the movie shows the castle at sunset.
'frame from [film/video]'
Animators draw twenty-four separate frames for each second of action.
number per unit of time: 'twenty-four frames per second'
Cole captured a single frame from the security camera footage as evidence.
- each frame
- single frame
- frames per second
- frame of the film
- video frame
Grammar Patterns
per frame
each frame
frame of the film/video
Usage Note
Often used in technical contexts about film editing, animation, and video production. Standard film runs at 24 frames per second. 'Key frame' refers to a defining image in animation.
Common Mistakes
6. one of the separate boxes or bordered sections that together form a comic strip
one of the separate boxes or bordered sections that together form a comic strip or graphic novel.
The first frame of the comic strip shows a sleepy cat waking up.
'first frame of the comic strip'
Eitan drew six frames for the school newspaper cartoon this week.
countable + number: 'six frames'
Each frame in Zola's comic contains only a few spoken words.
The artist used larger frames for the most exciting action moments.
Jiwoo added a speech bubble to the final frame of the funny story.
position: 'final frame'
- first frame
- final frame
- each frame
- frame of the comic
- comic strip frame
- panel
the standard term used in comic art for each bordered section
Grammar Patterns
first/final/next frame
frame of the comic
Usage Note
Also called a 'panel' in comics terminology. A comic strip frame is usually surrounded by a border line. The number of frames varies; newspaper comics typically use 3-4 frames.
Common Mistakes
7. One of the numbered turns in a game of bowling, during which a player rolls the
One of the numbered turns in a game of bowling, during which a player rolls the ball once or twice to try to knock down all ten pins.
Yumi scored a strike in the seventh frame and everybody clapped.
frame + ordinal number for a specific round
Each frame in bowling gives you up to two chances to knock down all ten pins.
By the final frame, Sora needed just eight pins to beat his personal best.
final frame — last round of the game
Hiro filled out his scorecard carefully after every frame at the bowling alley.
- first frame
- final frame
- seventh frame
- open frame
- score a strike in a frame
- round
general term for a unit of play; 'frame' is the specific term used in bowling
8. One of the divisions of a baseball game in which both teams take turns batting,
One of the divisions of a baseball game in which both teams take turns batting, usually numbering nine per game.
Apinya hit a home run in the bottom of the third frame and tied the game.
frame + ordinal for a specific inning
The pitcher struck out three batters in a single frame for the first time this season.
With two outs in the final frame, the crowd held their breath.
final frame — the last inning
Brooke kept track of every run scored during the seventh frame of the match.
- third frame
- final frame
- top of the frame
- bottom of the frame
- inning
standard term in baseball; 'frame' is the less formal alternative
Usage Note
In baseball, 'frame' is an informal synonym for 'inning', commonly used by sportswriters and commentators. The formal rules call it an inning.
9. The set of ideas, conditions, or circumstances that surround an event, a stateme
The set of ideas, conditions, or circumstances that surround an event, a statement, or a work and provide a way of understanding it.
The professor asked the students to analyze the novel within its historical frame.
within + adjective + frame — specifying the type of context
Reema struggled to understand the joke because she had no cultural frame for it.
Decisions about punishment are made within the legal frame of the country's constitution.
frame of + noun (legal frame, moral frame, historical frame)
Femi viewed the argument from a completely different frame of mind than his colleagues.
frame of mind — fixed phrase meaning mood or attitude
The report places the company's growth within the broader economic frame of the past decade.
- frame of reference
- frame of mind
- historical frame
- cultural frame
- moral frame
- within a frame
- broaden the frame
Grammar Patterns
frame of + noun
within a/the frame of
Usage Note
Often paired with 'of' to specify the kind of background context: 'frame of reference' (the set of standards or beliefs used to judge something), 'frame of mind' (a temporary mood or attitude), 'moral frame', 'historical frame'.
Common Mistakes
10. a border or case that surrounds and holds an opening or an object in place, such
a border or case that surrounds and holds an opening or an object in place, such as the frame of a window, door, or bed.
Piotr replaced the wooden window frame after it had rotted in the rain.
compound: window frame
The bed frame was made of solid steel and could support a heavy mattress.
compound: bed frame
Vinícius wiped dust off the door frame before painting it white.
compound: door frame
The handyman measured the door frame before ordering the new wooden door.
compound: door frame — enclosing opening
Water damage had warped the wooden window frame so badly that the glass no longer fit.
- window frame
- door frame
- bed frame
- wooden frame
- metal frame
- frame of the window
Grammar Patterns
[object] frame
frame of a [object]
Usage Note
Describes an open case or border that receives and encloses something (a window pane, a door, a mattress). Distinguish from sense 2 (a load-bearing skeleton that shapes the whole object) and sense 4 (a decorative border for pictures). Common compounds include 'window frame', 'door frame', 'bed frame'.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/2
In the sense of a load-bearing or shape-giving support system, "frame" emphasises the assembled parts that together create the outline or support of something, such as a bicycle frame or a building frame. "Structure" is broader — it can refer to anything built or organised, including abstract systems (social structure, economic structure). "Framework" is more abstract and systematic, often used for a set of principles or guidelines (a legal framework, a theoretical framework). "Skeleton" is more informal and visual, suggesting the bare bones that everything else hangs on (the skeleton of a skyscraper). "Chassis" is technical and used specifically for vehicles and electronic devices (the chassis of a car, a server chassis). For example: "The steel frame of the bridge was completed first," but "The company needs a new framework for decision-making."
Common collocations
Nouns
- picture frame
- window frame
- door frame
- bed frame
- bicycle frame
- glasses frame
- photo frame
- mirror frame
- steel frame
- wooden frame
- metal frame
- plastic frame
Adverbs
- strongly framed
- beautifully framed
- neatly framed
Phrases
- frame of reference
- frame of mind
- frame of the building
- frame by frame
Prepositions
- within a frame
- in a frame
- out of frame
- without a frame
- frame around
Etymology
The noun "frame" developed from the Old English verb "framian" (to be helpful, to profit, to further), which shares roots with the adverb and prefix "fram" (meaning forward or onward). Over time, "framian" took on the sense of "to shape, construct, build" — reflecting the idea of putting something together in a useful form. In Middle English, "framen" meant "to make ready, construct," and by the 1500s the noun referred to the structure that supports or shapes an object. The word is related to "from" through the same Germanic root.
First known use
14th century
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b