A system of public works; such as, roads and sewers, necessary to the functioning of a society.

1. The basic underlying framework or features of a system or organization: Infrastructure refers to the foundation of an organization as well as large scale public systems; such as, roads and public buildings of a country or region. You will often hear information technology (I.T.) professionals discuss their network infrastructure for their computer network.
2. Large-scale public systems like power, water supply, roads, public transportation, etc: While economists may debate the details, the combined national, provincial, and local spending for economic stimulus promises to change the face of China, giving the country a world-class infrastructure to move goods and people quickly, affordably, and reliably across great distances.