frame
frame
[noun
/freɪm/
border
1 countable a strong border or structure of wood, metal, etc. that holds a picture, door, piece of glass, etc. in position a picture/photo frame
aluminium window frames
I'm going to paint the door frame white.
She leaned against the frame of the door.
in a frame
pictures in gold frames
Collocations
adjective
[photo
preposition
in a/the frame
structure
2 countable the supporting structure of a piece of furniture, a building, a vehicle, etc. that gives it its shape a bicycle frame
The bed frame is made of pine.
the frame of an aircraft/a car/a bicycle
In the 1920s, federal office buildings were typically built with steel frames encased in concrete or granite.
of glasses
gold-rimmed frames
person/animal’s body
to have a small/slender/large frame
The bed was shorter than his six-foot frame.
general ideas
5 singular the general ideas or structure that form the background to something in/within the frame of something
In this course we hope to look at literature in the frame of its social and historical context.
of film
6 countable one of the single photographs that a film or video is made of of picture story
7 countable a single picture in a comic strip computing
8 countable one of the separate areas on an internet page that you can scroll through (= read by moving the text up or down) in garden
9 (also cold frame) countable a small wooden or metal frame covered with glass that you grow seeds or small plants in to protect them from cold weather in snooker/bowling
10 countable a single section of play in the game of snooker, etc., or in bowling He won the first frame easily.
Idioms
frame
/freɪm/
make border
be framed
The photograph had been framed.
He was presented with a framed certificate.
(be) framed in something
mirrors framed in silver and gold
2 to surround something/somebody in a way that makes an attractive image
frame something/somebody
I like the way your hair frames your face.
(be) framed against something
He stood there, head back, framed against the blue sky.
produce false evidence
3 usually passive to produce false evidence against an innocent person so that people think they are guilty be framed
He says he was framed.
(be) framed for something
She found herself framed for murder.
develop plan/system
4 frame something (formal) to create and develop something such as a plan, a system or a set of rules
Measures to secure oil production must be framed in the context of rising energy demands.
express something
5 frame something to express something in a particular way
You'll have to be careful how you frame the question.
e.g.
Word Origin
Old English framian ‘be useful’, of Germanic origin and related to from. The general sense in Middle English, ‘make ready for use’, probably led to senses (3 and 4) of the verb; it also gave rise to the specific meaning ‘prepare timber for use in building’, later ‘make the wooden parts (framework) of a building’, hence the noun sense ‘structure’ (late Middle English).