frames

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of frame.

   The gallery arranged the empty frames in neat rows before the opening.

   Modern window frames are often made of aluminum rather than wood.

   Note

   One regular plural covers every noun use of frame: the structural skeleton of a building, the mounts on a gallery wall, the individual images on a strip of film, even competing contexts for interpreting an argument. The same spelling also belongs to the present-tense verb, so "the frames of a film" names images, while "she frames a shot" names the act of composing one.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of frame.

   The director frames each shot to emphasize the lonely landscape.

   A skilled moderator frames the debate around a single central question.

   Note

   A verb form that always wants an object. Every use is transitive, so someone frames something: a carpenter frames a house, a gallery frames a print, a director frames a shot, a writer frames an argument. The -s ending marks a singular subject. With I, you or a plural subject, the bare form frame is used. The object usually shows which meaning is at work.

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