blueprint

American  

[bloo-print] / ˈbluˌprɪnt /

noun

1. a process of photographic printing, used chiefly in copying architectural and mechanical drawings, which produces a white line on a blue background.

2. a print made by this process.

3. a detailed outline or plan of action.

   a blueprint for success.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make a blueprint of or for.

blueprint British  

/ ˈbluːˌprɪnt /

noun

1. Also called: cyanotype.  a photographic print of plans, technical drawings, etc, consisting of white lines on a blue background

2. an original plan or prototype that influences subsequent design or practice

   the Montessori method was the blueprint for education in the 1940s

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verb

1. (tr) to make a blueprint of (a plan)

Other Word Forms

• blueprinter
  noun

Etymology

Origin of blueprint

First recorded in 1885–90; blue + print

Explanation

A blueprint is a guide for making something — it's a design or pattern that can be followed. Want to build the best tree house ever? Draw up a blueprint and follow the design carefully. The literal meaning of a blueprint is a paper — which is blue — with plans for a building printed on it. You can also call other guides or plans blueprints. The way you do your homework every night could provide a blueprint for your little sister’s study habits. A business plan is a blueprint for a profitable business. Religions and philosophies provide the blueprint for many people’s lives. A blueprint helps you figure out what to do.

Example Sentences

"I agonised over it," says Prof Turi King within the first few minutes of Saturday's Channel 4 documentary on the research, Hitler's DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025

Earlier this year, the organization changed the name of its annual Inclusion conference to Blueprint.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

Through his company Blueprint, he sells products based on his regimen, like the $150 microplastics test kit, to people who share his hopes of longevity.

From Slate • May 28, 2025

The California Maternal Health Blueprint unveiled in September sets out strategies to try to bring down maternal deaths.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2024

Prev. pub. abroad as Blueprint for murder. © 4Mar48, AI-1581; 14Jul48, A23984.

From U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1975 July - December by Library of Congress. Copyright Office

Related Words

• draft
• game plan
• master plan
• model
• prototype
• scheme
• sketch