to construct a master plan for.
to master-plan one's career.
to develop or improve (land, a community, a building complex, or the like) through a long-range plan that balances and harmonizes all elements.
The engineers master-planned the island to provide for increases in the tourist population.
First recorded in 1925–30
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Among the agreements signed on Wednesday was a framework for a Vietnam-South Korea "master plan on cooperation in science, technology and innovation".
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
While the pacing stumbles a little in the first half, it picks up satisfyingly on alternate Earth with John Ward’s as-yet-unknown master plan.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
I don’t have a master plan to answer your question.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026
The estimated costs in the 2020 master plan have likely changed due to rising prices for materials and construction labor.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
“Enough with the pity party. Senior years coming up. What's the master plan? 'Cause you gotta get out of that apartment.”
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
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.
