project
Americannoun
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something that is contemplated, devised, or planned; plan; scheme.
I have several little projects around the house that I’d like to tackle in my time off.
- Synonyms:
- proposal
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a large or major undertaking, especially one involving considerable money, personnel, and equipment.
The city is undertaking several public works projects to modernize and upgrade infrastructure.
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a specific task of investigation, especially in scholarship.
Federal funding supports some cancer-related projects while other research is sustained by private grants.
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Education. a supplementary, long-term educational assignment necessitating personal initiative, undertaken by an individual student or a group of students.
For my literature class project, I wrote an original rock opera and performed one song from it.
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Informal. the projects, a housing project, typically one constructed as a development of high-rise towers with apartments for low-income residents, especially in the second half of the 20th century.
Back in those days, the projects were no place to raise a family.
verb (used with object)
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to propose, contemplate, or plan.
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to throw, cast, or impel forward or onward.
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to set forth or calculate (some future thing).
They projected the building costs for the next five years.
- Synonyms:
- predict
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to throw or cause to fall upon a surface or into space, as a ray of light or a shadow.
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to cause (a figure or image) to appear, as on a background.
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to regard (something within the mind, as a feeling, thought, or attitude) as having some form of reality outside the mind.
He projected a thrilling picture of the party's future.
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to cause to jut out or protrude.
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Geometry.
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to throw forward an image of (a figure or the like) by straight lines or rays, either parallel, converging, or diverging, that pass through all its points and reproduce it on another surface or figure.
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to transform the points (of one figure) into those of another by a correspondence between points.
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to present (an idea, program, etc.) for consideration or action.
They made every effort to project the notion of world peace.
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to use (one's voice, gestures, etc.) forcefully enough to be perceived at a distance, as by all members of the audience in a theater.
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to communicate clearly and forcefully (one's thoughts, personality, role, etc.) to an audience, as in a theatrical performance; produce a compelling image of.
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to cause (the voice) to appear to come from a source other than oneself, as in ventriloquism; throw.
verb (used without object)
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to extend or protrude beyond something else.
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to use one's voice forcefully enough to be heard at a distance, as in a theater.
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to produce a clear impression of one's thoughts, personality, role, etc., in an audience; communicate clearly and forcefully.
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Psychology. to ascribe one's own feelings, thoughts, or attitudes to others.
noun
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a proposal, scheme, or design
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a task requiring considerable or concerted effort, such as one by students
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the subject of such a task
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short for housing project
verb
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(tr) to propose or plan
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(tr) to predict; estimate; extrapolate
we can project future needs on the basis of the current birth rate
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(tr) to throw or cast forwards
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to jut or cause to jut out
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(tr) to send forth or transport in the imagination
to project oneself into the future
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(tr) to cause (an image) to appear on a surface
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to cause (one's voice) to be heard clearly at a distance
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psychol
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(intr) (esp of a child) to believe that others share one's subjective mental life
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to impute to others (one's hidden desires and impulses), esp as a means of defending oneself Compare introject
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(tr) geometry to draw a projection of
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(intr) to communicate effectively, esp to a large gathering
Synonym Usage
See plan.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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counterprojectnoun
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subprojectnoun
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reprojectverb
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nonprojectingadjective
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projectableadjective
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unprojectedadjective
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unprojectingadjective
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projectinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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projectsimple
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projectssimple
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have projectedperfect
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has projectedperfect
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am projectingprogressive
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are projectingprogressive
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is projectingprogressive
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have been projectingperfect progressive
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has been projectingperfect progressive
Past
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projectedsimple
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had projectedperfect
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was projectingprogressive
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were projectingprogressive
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had been projectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of project
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun project(e) “design, plan,” from Medieval Latin prōjectum, Latin: “projecting part,” noun use of neuter of Latin prōjectus, past participle of prōicere “to throw forward, extend,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + -icere, combining form of jacere “to throw”
Explanation
A project is a piece of work that is planned or intended. Plan a little extra time for your gingerbread house project — gluing the walls and roof can take a while. If you call a person your project, pronounced PRAH-jekt, it means you are trying to improve them by telling them how to behave, etc. As a verb, pronounced pro-JEKT, it means to jut out literally — The fireplace projects into the dining room — or figuratively — Try to project your ideas forcefully. If you assume another person is feeling the same things you are, you are projecting your feelings onto them.
Vocabulary lists containing project
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
So far, it has about 550 megawatt-hours installed, equal to a large, utility-sized storage project.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Blumstein assumed responsibility for the project in 2003 when Armitage retired.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
As construction risk recedes, these bonds could “look increasingly like secured, lease-backed extensions of hyperscaler credit rather than purely bespoke project financings,” Barclays credit analysts wrote in a recent note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Erin Roach, who opposes the project and is the neighborhood association’s president, said that her side does have “an image problem.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Camille’s eyes are shining with the excitement of a new project.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
The series received glowing reviews for its hangout vibe and a lack of the global stakes that often burden Marvel projects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
With at least 248 planned data center projects and 335 in operation, Texas is poised to become a leader in data center development.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
The building has had to delay routine projects such as power-washing the buildings and planting new flowers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
The partnerships fund conservation, visitor access, climate and community projects while allowing brands to associate themselves with protected landscapes.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
In public health projects in difficult locales, theory often prevails over practice.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Its projected cost is £162.6m compared to £543m for Glasgow 2014 and £680m for Birmingham 2022.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
LA28 officials point to an analysis by the Southern California Assn. of Governments that projected the Games will generate more than $17 billion in gross domestic product for the region.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
The startup automaker narrowed its losses in the second quarter and said it expects to sell more electric vehicles this year than it previously projected.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The UK published planning documents showing the embassy's projected floor space would exceed 50,000 square metres.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
The rest of it was projected at about ten times the normal speed.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
The company also reaffirmed its outlook for the full year, projecting an operating margin of about 5.5% of revenue and automotive free cash flow of roughly EUR1 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
He said connecting "something that happened 80 years ago" and projecting that onto health now meant there were "loads" of other factors that could be playing a role.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
This year, Clark, New Mexico’s state investment officer, is projecting $5.4 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The company is also expected to see its free cash flow turn negative this quarter, with analysts projecting $801 million in negative free cash flow.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
For instance, Forrester Research, Inc., was projecting that more than three million service and professional jobs would move out of the country by 2015.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
