scheme
Americannoun
-
schemes
plural
-
a plan, design, or program of action to be followed; project.
-
an underhand plot; intrigue.
- Synonyms:
- conspiracy, cabal, stratagem
-
a visionary or impractical project.
-
a body or system of related doctrines, theories, etc..
a scheme of philosophy.
-
any system of correlated things, parts, etc., or the manner of its arrangement.
-
a plan, program, or policy officially adopted and followed, as by a government or business.
The company's pension scheme is very successful.
-
an analytical or tabular statement.
-
a diagram, map, or the like.
-
an astrological diagram of the heavens.
verb (used with object)
-
schemes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
schemed,
past participle, past
-
scheming
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
schemes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
schemed,
past participle, past
-
scheming
present participle
noun
-
a systematic plan for a course of action
-
a systematic arrangement of correlated parts; system
-
a secret plot
-
a visionary or unrealizable project
-
a chart, diagram, or outline
-
an astrological diagram giving the aspects of celestial bodies at a particular time
-
a plan formally adopted by a commercial enterprise or governmental body, as for pensions, etc
-
an area of housing that is laid out esp by a local authority; estate
verb
-
(tr) to devise a system for
-
to form intrigues (for) in an underhand manner
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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schemernoun
-
subschemenoun
-
underschemenoun
-
outschemeverb (used with object)
-
schemelessadjective
-
unschemedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
schemesimple
-
schemessimple
-
have schemedperfect
-
has schemedperfect
-
am schemingprogressive
-
are schemingprogressive
-
is schemingprogressive
-
have been schemingperfect progressive
-
has been schemingperfect progressive
Past
-
schemedsimple
-
had schemedperfect
-
was schemingprogressive
-
were schemingprogressive
-
had been schemingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scheme
First recorded in 1545–55; from Medieval Latin schēma (stem schēmat- ), from Greek schêma “form, figure”
Explanation
A scheme is an elaborate plan or plot. It's going to take a really solid scheme, probably involving teleportation or some sort of temporary cloning, to make an appearance at both parties at once. Scheme comes to us from the Latin word for "figure." And it's still used today to refer to a set of drawings and figures used to map out something. Or maybe you’ve heard people talk about something in the scheme of life." In that case they're talking about something that fits into the bigger picture. But don't forget that schemes often carry a negative connotation — the word brings to mind devious plans and secret plots organized by scheming bad guys.
Vocabulary lists containing scheme
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"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry
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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:
Disney actor Erik von Detten is being sued for allegedly scamming an elderly couple in a bizarre precious-metals scheme.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
He pleaded guilty to making illegal campaign donations and a loan fraud scheme in 2022.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
College football—a resilient, tribal, often thrilling American sports tradition forever chasing its next terrible idea—is closing in on its latest scheme:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Lee Fossey, from St Agnes, Cornwall, pays £30 a month into a savings scheme to spread the cost of heating oil throughout the year.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Eventually, the KGB came up with a scheme that would serve as a kind of smoke screen for Blake's spying on behalf of Russia.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
He would later settle a civil lawsuit brought by his former employer, which contended he played a role in Kao’s campaign finance and loan fraud schemes, for $425,000.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
Croick and Dieffenbach worked via Zoom to study schemes, installations and the skills it took to play under center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
In one example, an unnamed customer was repeatedly connected to fraud schemes and high-risk international payments wires that were being investigated by law enforcement, resulting in more than 100 compliance cases, the filing said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Current schemes mostly allow a minimal use of AI, for example for research and grammar checks, but there are worries this could be open to interpretation.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
His schemes, until then unknown to us in detail, always dealt with groups of three bases, hydrogen-bonded in the middle, many of which we now knew to be in the wrong tautomeric forms.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
He schemed to get an imported copy seized by customs to trigger a court case over its content.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Afforded extra space by his manager's decision to play Jack Grealish alongside him in a central position, De Bruyne schemed in the way he usually does.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2024
City-states, hoping to win civic glory, sometimes schemed to bribe top athletes to falsely claim that city as their own.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2024
Together with their accountant Peter Tarantino, who also was sentenced to prison his role in the situation, the couple schemed to defraud the Internal Revenue Service to avoid paying taxes, prosecutors said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2024
Born in 625, B’ajlaj Chan K’awiil schemed for power from his base in Dos Pilas, setting off a civil war between forces loyal to him and those loyal to Nuun Ujol Chaak.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
"I know what I did, I know what we did, and I know how it happened. It didn't feel like we were scheming or plotting."
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Where are the well-rounded characters, smart dialogue, ingenious scheming on one side and even more ingenious problem-solving on the other?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
It could be argued Tielemans' arrival addresses an issue Manchester United have had since Carrick quit in 2018; the scheming midfielder with an eye for a pass, who can break a defensive line.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Deluded self-mythologizing was at the core of Johnson’s mockumentary series “Nirvanna the Band the Show” and well-regarded movie expansion about two musicians perpetually scheming to perform at Toronto’s Rivoli club.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
John Garrett was sure the men were scheming to steal their horses in the middle of the night.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
