infrastructure

infrastructure — noun

1. the network of physical structures and facilities — roads, bridges, pipes, cable

1.名詞B2
釋義

the network of physical structures and facilities — roads, bridges, pipes, cables, power grids, and similar systems — that a region or organization depends on to function properly

例句

Adina said the city's infrastructure — especially the water pipes — needs urgent repairs.

collocation: city's infrastructure — basic public facilities of an urban area

The government plans to spend more on infrastructure like roads and high-speed internet.

verb + noun: spend more on infrastructure

同義詞
  • public works

    narrower — mainly government-built projects like roads and dams; less common in everyday language

  • utilities

    narrower — refers specifically to water, gas, electricity, and telecom services, not the physical networks themselves

  • facilities

    refers to individual buildings or installations rather than the system connecting them

用法筆記

Typically uncountable: 'more infrastructure is needed,' not 'more infrastructures are needed.' In formal planning documents, however, a countable use ('infrastructures') occasionally appears when referring to multiple distinct systems across different regions.

常見錯誤

❌The city needs to build more infrastructures.
✅The city needs to build more infrastructure.
💡infrastructure is almost always uncountable.
❌This bridge is an infrastructure.
✅This bridge is part of the city's infrastructure.
💡a single structure is a facility; infrastructure refers to the whole interconnected system.

2. the basic systems, processes, or structures that support the operation of an org

2.名詞C1
釋義

the basic systems, processes, or structures that support the operation of an organization, industry, or field of activity

例句

Ritu explained that the company's IT infrastructure was too old to support remote work.

modifier noun: IT infrastructure — technology systems of an organization

Without a solid legal infrastructure, the new online marketplace struggled to resolve disputes fairly.

modifier noun: legal infrastructure — abstract systems of rules and procedures

同義詞
  • framework

    more abstract — refers to a set of principles or rules rather than actual systems and processes

  • foundation

    emphasises the base on which everything rests; less specific about the operational systems above it

  • backbone

    metaphorical — highlights the most critical part of a system, but less formal and narrower in scope

用法筆記

Very common in business, technology, and policy contexts. Frequently preceded by a describing noun: 'IT infrastructure,' 'digital infrastructure,' 'social infrastructure,' 'legal infrastructure.' The meaning ranges from purely technical (servers, networks) to purely procedural (rules, workflows, hierarchies).

常見錯誤

❌We need to fix our company's infrastructure' (when meaning a single broken computer).
✅We need to fix our company's IT infrastructure' (or 'We need to replace this computer.')
💡specify what kind of infrastructure you mean; the word alone implies a large-scale system.