design

American  

[dih-zahyn] / dɪˈzaɪn /

verb (used with object)

• designs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• designed,
  past participle,  past
• designing
  present participle

1. to prepare the preliminary sketch or the plans for (a work to be executed), especially to plan the form and structure of.

   to design a new bridge.

2. to plan and fashion artistically or skillfully.

3. to intend for a definite purpose.

   a scholarship designed for foreign students.

4. to form or conceive in the mind; contrive; plan.

   The prisoner designed an intricate escape.

5. to assign in thought or intention; purpose.

   He designed to be a doctor.

6. Obsolete. to mark out, as by a sign; indicate.

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verb (used without object)

• designs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• designed,
  past participle,  past
• designing
  present participle

1. to make drawings, preliminary sketches, or plans.

2. to plan and fashion the form and structure of an object, work of art, decorative scheme, etc.

noun

• designs
  plural

1. an outline, sketch, or plan, as of the form and structure of a work of art, an edifice, or a machine to be executed or constructed.

2. organization or structure of formal elements in a work of art; composition.

3. the combination of details or features of a picture, building, etc.; the pattern or motif of artistic work.

   the design on a bracelet.

4. the art of designing.

   a school of design.

5. a plan or project.

   a design for a new process.

6. a plot or intrigue, especially an underhand, deceitful, or treacherous one.

   His political rivals formulated a design to unseat him.

7. designs, a hostile or aggressive project or scheme having evil or selfish motives.

   He had designs on his partner's stock.

8. intention; purpose; end.

9. adaptation of means to a preconceived end.

design British  

/ dɪˈzaɪn /

verb

1. to work out the structure or form of (something), as by making a sketch, outline, pattern, or plans

2. to plan and make (something) artistically or skilfully

3. (tr) to form or conceive in the mind; invent

4. (tr) to intend, as for a specific purpose; plan

5. obsolete (tr) to mark out or designate

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noun

1. a plan, sketch, or preliminary drawing

2. the arrangement or pattern of elements or features of an artistic or decorative work

   the design of the desk is Chippendale

3. a finished artistic or decorative creation

4. the art of designing

5. a plan, scheme, or project

6. an end aimed at or planned for; intention; purpose

7. (often plural; often foll by on or against) a plot or hostile scheme, often to gain possession of (something) by illegitimate means

8. a coherent or purposeful pattern, as opposed to chaos

   God's design appears in nature

9. philosophy another name for teleological argument

design Idioms  

1. see by design; have designs on.

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Usage

What is a basic definition of design? Design means to create a plan or sketch of something that is going to be made later, especially a plan that details what the finished thing will do and look like. A design is the plan or sketch created as a result of this activity. Design also means to intend something for a specific purpose. Design has several other senses as a verb and a noun. Design means to sketch something out and draw up a plan of how the finished project will look and function. For example, the government will have a team design a new bridge before actually building it. This means that someone will draw a sketch of what they want the bridge to look like and determine how much weight they want the bridge to hold. The people who actually build the bridge will consult this plan to guide them in the construction. A person who makes these preliminary sketches is called a designer. Real-life examples: Architects design new buildings. Mattel and Hasbro design new toys. Microsoft and Apple frequently design new computers and gadgets. Used in a sentence: The engineer designed a new type of airplane wing. A design is the actual sketch or drawing that a person who is designing something creates. On the internet, you can find some early and original designs of many popular products we use today. Often, these early designs are quite different from the final product. Used in a sentence: The scientists were working on a design for a new type of spacecraft. Design also means to intend something for a specific purpose. Real-life examples: Hats are designed to be worn on the head. A lawnmower is designed to cut grass. Cars are not designed for driving underwater. Used in a sentence: The ad campaign was designed to attract more teenage fans. 

Synonym Usage

See intend. See plan.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-design
  noun
• overdesign
  verb
• redesign
  verb
• outdesign
  verb (used with object)
• predesign
  verb (used with object)
• underdesign
  verb (used with object)
• designable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• designs
  plural

Participles

• designing
  present
• designed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• design
  simple
• designs
  simple
• have designed
  perfect
• has designed
  perfect
• am designing
  progressive
• are designing
  progressive
• is designing
  progressive
• have been designing
  perfect progressive
• has been designing
  perfect progressive

Past

• designed
  simple
• had designed
  perfect
• was designing
  progressive
• were designing
  progressive
• had been designing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will design
  simple
• will have designed
  perfect
• will be designing
  progressive
• will have been designing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of design

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English designen, from Latin dēsignāre “to mark out”; see de-, sign

Explanation

To design is to conceive, create, sketch out, or invent something. An architect might design a new apartment building, and an inventor might design a new smart phone. Charles Eames, famous designer of fancy modern chairs, said "Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose." That's a broad definition, but then again, design is a broad field. School kids design book report posters, engineers design bridges, and politicians design arguments against their opponents. If you really want to explore design, take some time to examine the expert layout of a Picasso painting.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

design designs designed designing

Sufficient demand for the coins mean newly-minted 10p pieces are entering circulation for the first time for about four years, this time with a new design.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

It called for bar codes and other mandatory design features on ballot envelopes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Areas assessed by the probe include the firm's systems for preventing the sale of illegal products, risks associated with its "addictive design" and the transparency of its content recommendations, the Commission said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

The project combined the USDA's expertise in honeybee biology and experimental design with specialized technology at LLNL.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

Though none of this was by design, it proved to be the best possible setting for those who had been imprisoned in Germany.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Osgood creates designs that she has a Montreal-based company transfer onto pillows the couple sells in their store.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

At the same time, it tracks users' search data and social media trends to generate designs with a high likelihood of attracting demand -- often appearing to simply copy from other brands.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

Previous surface designs have struggled with an important limitation.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

Recent requests have included Mexican peso designs, medallions and a glittery wand for a Sweet 16 gift.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

I resolved, therefore, that if my immediate union with my cousin would conduce either to hers or my father’s happiness, my adversary’s designs against my life should not retard it a single hour.

From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley

The UK is set to hand over blueprints for its British-French designed Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine – following a similar move from France – allowing Ukraine to produce the weapon domestically.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Megxit was designed precisely to avoid this kind of headache.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Bessent said the plan was a “Treasury twist” designed to curb rising long-term yields, which he said didn’t reflect underlying economic fundamentals.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

Broad-spectrum antibiotics are designed to act against many different types of bacteria, which is why they can produce substantial changes in the gut microbial community.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

He even wrote little primers designed to teach these children how to read.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

He confirmed to the BBC that he was not involved in designing the other face of the medal engraved with the wrong stadium.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

By exposing the previously invisible steps that occur during ultrafast transformations, scientists may move closer to designing materials whose properties can be deliberately and efficiently controlled with light.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

The consortium was tasked with designing, building and financing the project, and operating and maintaining the people mover for 25 years after its completion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

When Etched needed help designing servers and racks to integrate its chips into one big system, the company in 2024 recruited Brian Loiler, a top systems engineer who spent nearly 23 years at Nvidia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

I was in my room, designing more nozzles, when I heard her hurry off to bed.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• architecture
• arrangement
• composition
• construction
• drawing
• form
• idea
• layout
• map
• method
• model
• pattern
• picture
• plan
• scheme
• study