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contingency plan

American  

noun

  1. a course of action to be followed if a preferred plan fails or an existing situation changes.

  2. a plan or procedure that will take effect if an emergency occurs; emergency plan.


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:

Paramount’s board has approved David Ellison’s contingency plan to move headquarters from Hollywood as early as this fall, according to people familiar with the situation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

While pubs have only had since Thursday to prepare and Friday night's mixed messaging over start time may have confused matters, Corrozi said pubs may have already had a "contingency plan" in place.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

She’s heard people say that you can’t have a contingency plan for everything — “but yes, yes you can,” she emphasized.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 22, 2026

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday that "military assets" had been deployed to the Middle East as a contingency plan.

From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026

“We’ve got a contingency plan for exactly this scenario!”

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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