blueprint

American  

[bloo-print] / ˈbluˌprɪnt /

noun

1. a process of photographic printing, 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

Example Sentences

Of the large enterprise-software companies adopting the FDE blueprint, “I don’t think any will be successful” on a large scale, Luria said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

"This fossil documents the Cambrian origin of chelicerates," noted Lerosey-Aubril, "and shows that the anatomical blueprint of spiders and horseshoe crabs was already emerging 500 million years ago."

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

The Reflection deal is a blueprint for what the Commerce Department hopes to support through an AI export program that is in the works.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Seven tries in the back-to-back Six Nations champions' own backyard is the blueprint to how this side should play.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

In a manual of general principles and rules that served as a blueprint for the industry, Pinkerton admitted that the detective must at times “depart from the strict line of truth” and “resort to deception.”

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Related Words

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