mastermind
Americanverb (used with object)
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masterminds,
present (3rd person singular)
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masterminded,
past participle, past
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masterminding
present participle
noun
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masterminds
plural
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mastermindsimple
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mastermindssimple
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have mastermindedperfect
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has mastermindedperfect
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am mastermindingprogressive
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are mastermindingprogressive
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is mastermindingprogressive
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have been mastermindingperfect progressive
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has been mastermindingperfect progressive
Past
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mastermindedsimple
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had mastermindedperfect
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was mastermindingprogressive
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were mastermindingprogressive
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had been mastermindingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mastermind
Explanation
A mastermind is a brilliant thinker with original ideas. You might be a chess mastermind or a criminal mastermind: either way, people will not want to oppose you. Inventors, intellectuals, and famous geniuses call all be called masterminds, from Albert Einstein to theoretical physicist Dr. Shirley Jackson. You could also call people who are successful in their fields — especially if they come up with new ways of doing things — masterminds. Even a brilliant jewel thief might be called a safe-cracking mastermind. As a verb, to mastermind is to act as the leader of some complex plan or scheme.
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:
Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said authorities were working with Interpol to track down the mastermind behind the operations.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The scandal fueled national outrage and a political reckoning, with an alleged mastermind arrested on suspicion of selling leaked questions for thousands of dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Soccer and the mastermind behind that World Cup — created for the 23 players who will wear the U.S. crest at home this summer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Keegan is one of the most transformational figures in Newcastle's history, the mastermind behind the Entertainers, who challenged for the Premier League title in 1996.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
Which is why I became the mastermind behind Operation Dino-doo-doo.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Notably, First Light was the last project supervised by Bond masterminds Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson before they gave creative control to the franchise's new owners, Amazon MGM Studios.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
The general assured them he distinguished between the masterminds behind the uprising and soldiers ordered to carry it out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
The church had previous accused successive governments of failing to identify the masterminds behind the bombings.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
Matt and Ross Duffer, the sibling masterminds behind Netflix’s juggernaut, discussed Vol.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026
The boy who had thought of a mouse to turn his windmill had thought out some of the sublimest things in nature, and was henceforward to rank as one of the few masterminds of science.
From Famous Men of Science by Sarah K. Bolton
And then in 2024 he masterminded the Kursk attack -- the first sustained foreign incursion into Russia since WWII.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
A whole new genre of celebrity divorce: Slate’s Scaachi Koul considers how Bunnie Xo, an archetypical “Cool Girl,” seems to have masterminded a new strategy for getting divorced in the public eye.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
By comparison, the total illegal profit from the insider-trading scheme masterminded by hedge-fund titan Raj Rajaratnam was $53.8 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
The new stage adaptation is being masterminded by Tilted Musicals, the production company run by Girls Aloud songwriter Miranda Cooper and producer Sam Hodges.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
After all, who hung out with Cap before he ever drove a bus, or masterminded a dance?
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
Ramírez considered herself one of the creative directors of the cohort, masterminding video shoots and making sure their social media marketing stayed consistent with the festival’s branding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
South Korea's ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol has been jailed for life for masterminding an insurrection by trying to impose military rule.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
Interim boss Carrick is making his case for the permanent job after masterminding an impressive turnaround since Ruben Amorim was sacked in January.
From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026
The latest person to let down her guard was Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff who is credited with masterminding Trump’s 2024 win, and who has a reputation for discretion.
From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2025
Low is alleged to have gained his wealth after masterminding a scheme to steal billions from 1Malaysia Development Bhd., or 1MDB, a Malaysian sovereign-wealth fund.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
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.
