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
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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:
But the local government separately ordered the project to cease operations, citing licensing irregularities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
The reversal follows the discovery of Interior Department records showing the project had experienced significant installation problems before Hearn was accused of damaging the site.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
The project has seen extensive modernisation work aimed at making the building more accessible.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
But sometimes, remodeling leaves homeowners with a sour taste in their mouth and wishing they’d skipped the project entirely.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
“Which means that they named this project after Snow White’s mother because it’s supposed to help women have babies.”
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Kitchen renovations are the most common type of remodel, and they’re usually the priciest, with homeowners spending a median of $24,000 on kitchen projects in 2025, according to the 2026 U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
Chief Executive Mark Selby said the company advanced Crawford from its fifth drill hole through a feasibility study to the milestone federal approval in under seven years, faster than typical for large-scale projects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
It was one of several "beautification" projects around the US capital that Trump had ordered ahead of the July 4 celebration of America's 250th anniversary.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
“This next chapter won’t ask us to choose between delivering major projects, preparing for global events, and improving everyday service. No, it will ask us to do all three at the same time.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
They’ve sent us several Polish and German tradesmen to get us started with these projects.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
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 UK published planning documents showing the embassy's projected floor space would exceed 50,000 square metres.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
He was initially projected to be freed in June 2028.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Excluding data-center deals, hyperscalers this year are on track to issue about $250 billion in debt for their capital expenditures, a figure estimated to grow to $400 billion in 2027, Goldman Sachs projected recently.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
“His voice lacked the authority it had once projected when he would point briskly to graphs and flip-charts to prove his rosy appraisals.”
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Rivian also raised its guidance for the year, projecting adjusted losses as high as $2 billion; previously, the company had estimated losses of up to $2.1 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 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
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
Analysts are projecting $15.75 billion in annual sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The lifeboat now had a prow projecting over the waves, if crookedly.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
