Marshall Plan

American  

noun

1. European Recovery Program.

2. Informal. any comprehensive program for federally supported economic assistance, as for urban renewal.

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Marshall Plan British  

noun

1. Official name: European Recovery Programme.  a programme of US economic aid for the reconstruction of post-World War II Europe (1948–52)

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Marshall Plan Cultural  

1. A program by which the United States gave large amounts of economic aid to European countries to help them rebuild after the devastation of World War II. It was proposed by the United States secretary of state, General George C. Marshall.

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Example Sentences

“NATO came to be seen as the necessary military escort for Marshall aid. The two went together,” said Steil, who wrote a book on the Marshall Plan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

The Marshall Plan, by comparison, was 1% of gross domestic product a year.

From Barron's • Nov. 20, 2025

The United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, was a lineal descendant of the Marshall Plan and an embodiment of soft power.

From Salon • Aug. 16, 2025

Certainly nothing like it has been seen since 1948, when the United States solidified its postwar leadership and banked global goodwill with the Marshall Plan, which rebuilt war-ravaged Europe, including former enemies.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2025

A year later he asked Congress to adopt the Marshall Plan for economic aid to Europe, authorize military training, and enact a new selective service law to maintain the armed forces at expanded levels.

From Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965 by MacGregor, Morris J.