strategize
Americanverb (used without object)
Usage
What does strategize mean? To strategize is to plan or create a plan or strategy for a specific reason or goal. A strategy is a plan for a course of action, especially one that prepares for multiple scenarios or situations. Strategize is commonly used in any context that involves extensive planning, especially the military, business, politics, and sports. Example: One candidate had clearly strategized before the debate and knew how to answer every question and respond to every attack. The other candidate was obviously winging it.
Etymology
Origin of strategize
First recorded in 1970–75; strateg(y) + -ize
Explanation
When you work on a plan with the aim of achieving a goal, you strategize. If you don't strategize before the big debate, you'll probably be unprepared and unconvincing. You and your sister should strategize before presenting your proposal for higher allowances to your mom. That means you'll come up with a game plan to achieve your goal: convincing her that ten dollars a week makes sense. Chess players strategize too, studying the board for possible moves and planning ahead to ultimately put their opponent's king in check mate. Strategize and strategy were first used as military terminology, from a root meaning "military commander."
Vocabulary lists containing strategize
Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms, Unit 1
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Academic and Literary Vocabulary, Unit 2
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The Black Girl Survives in This One
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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:
Aguirre will have to strategize with an eye toward what lies ahead in the next round, which is a single-elimination format.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
They also make it exceedingly difficult for pro se petitioners filing on their own behalf to strategize the best approach and avoid being procedurally barred.
From Slate ● May 29, 2026
WSJ’s Imani Moise explains what to do with expiring money—and how to strategize for the new year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025
A new levies strategy from the U.S. government may create a new set of challenges for companies—and spur more costly legal bills as businesses strategize around new tariff authorities.
From Barron's ● Dec. 22, 2025
Since she was a daughter of Athena, plans were supposed to be her specialty; but it was hard to strategize with her stomach growling and her throat baking.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Ariane strategized with Epstein on pushing back, and thrust the matter into public view by filing a lawsuit in 2015 to control using the name in finance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
The files provide a rare window into how Epstein reacted and strategized in real time to the political and cultural earthquake of #MeToo.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2026
Schmeltz, who is one of the leaders of the national Jewish on Campus Student Union, said the group has strategized on how to respond as protests multiplied.
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
“This is the first scene in the movie,” Spielberg, at the time still best known as the director of “Jaws,” strategized.
From New York Times ● Jul. 3, 2023
He strategized about how to get the message across, how to wrangle more volunteers and find pockets of people who remained unfound.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
A change not only to when people can get 100% of the benefit they’re owed, but also to when they might be able to begin claiming, could make strategizing more complex.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
There are always question marks hanging over “Doctor Who,” which intermittently swaps out its lead and secondary actors as a function of its narrative premise and practical strategizing, but never quite so many as now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Text messages between Altman and Shivon Zilis, Musk’s close associate and onetime OpenAI board member, who is the mother of four of his children, show the two strategizing on how to best manage Musk’s moods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
On homelessness, he said, he has a team strategizing to address the needs, and a medical team that works the streets, and a tiny home village is in the works.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
“Sadly, the bridge is already under insurgent control due to questionable strategizing by my bereft cohort.”
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
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.
