contingency plan
Americannoun
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a course of action to be followed if a preferred plan fails or an existing situation changes.
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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.
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
Redick approached Kennard after Doncic and Reaves were injured against Oklahoma City last Thursday to discuss the contingency plan of him taking on more ball-handling responsibilities.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
There was a contingency plan: Three smaller planes carrying specialized teams later made their way to the remote staging area.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 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
“Well, see, in the event—however unlikely—that your vaccine does not have the desired effect, and Othello there turns, I was wondering what your contingency plan is. Have you taken the vaccine yourself?”
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
