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

"Others may identify a design issue or security weakness they want to address."

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Displayed alongside several of Ishioka’s original design drawings, the armor offers a fascinating look at how her ideas evolved from pencil on paper into something almost anatomical.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Private equity is abstract by design; the role of these firms is hard to figure for anyone outside of the C-suite.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026

Its location has not been revealed, nor have details about its size, design, or amenities.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

“Your alpanas get better every day, Daughter,” Father said, studying the design she was creating on the threshold.

From "Rickshaw Girl" by Mitali Perkins

Footwear giants like Dr. Martens have repeatedly taken online big-box sellers to court over boot designs, while luxury house Christian Louboutin spent years in global litigation defending its signature red soles against high-street copycats.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

These were the Rams that most everyone anticipated seeing, the team with designs on ending this season with another Super Bowl at SoFi, where they raised the Lombardi Trophy in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

There’s a 12-team playoff now, with designs to expand it even further.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

The resulting nanoparticles produce a much stronger signal than earlier designs.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

I look up at the walls and ceiling, covered with elaborate designs and colorful etchings.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Some, like EY, have designed simulations to let junior staff practice asking clients for information or confronting a co-worker about a missed deadline.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Or use the Signal messaging app, an end-to-end encrypted message service designed to protect your data.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

Eiko Ishioka designed the blood-red battle armor with a ribbed surface evoking both exposed human musculature and an armadillo’s shell, while the pointed helmet foreshadows the wolf Dracula later becomes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Dozens of tools are now available online to detect AI generated text -- many of them designed for use in education or publishing.

From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026

“We literally thought of and designed and flew the airplanes in a space of about six or eight weeks,” said British aviation pioneer Thomas Sopwith.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

The company says it has been designing the Gold card’s benefits to serve younger consumers who emphasize dining and takeout, adding perks including credits to Dunkin’ and Five Guys.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Mackie was still designing up until recently - Sabrina Carpenter wore one of his designs at the MTV Video Music Awards last year.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Participants then did an exercise designing a store of their choice using ChatGPT, while fMRI scanners recorded their brain activity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

By combining and designing these gates, researchers can carry out a wide range of more complicated quantum operations.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 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