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.
The completion of the parking lot would require a Port of Los Angeles master plan amendment to switch the land’s designation from open space to maritime support.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
The Air and Space Center opening will mark the completion of the master plan adapted by the Science Center in 1993.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Authorities in Vietnam's capital have been on a demolition blitz, knocking down thousands of homes to make way for bridges and other infrastructure projects as part of a 100-year master plan approved last month.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
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
This is what Satchmo told himself, what he was ready to execute—the master plan to save his life—as he approached Mr. Jerry's house.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
It's safe to assume that, in the over five decades of Decembers since Kennedy's first master-plan, the White House has been home to a few women who have no personal fondness for gingerbread or tinsel.
From Salon ● Dec. 12, 2020
The most recent master-plan shows a mixed-use scheme for 1,000 new homes in addition to a range of commercial, leisure and community uses, including a park and ride facility and a school.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2019
Many have tried to master-plan the vibrancy of an organic city; most have failed.
From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2017
Both will depend on master-plan designs to be selected after competitions that will begin in 30 days, the Democratic governor said.
From Reuters ● Oct. 20, 2014
He had talked to Mr. Dosson by the hour about his master-plan of making the touchy folks themselves fall into line, but had never dreamed this man would subsidise him as an interesting struggler.
From The Reverberator by James, Henry
The latest Census Bureau data show that some of the fastest-growing cities are often sitting in the distant orbit of a larger city and centered on booming master-planned communities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Spanning 30,000 acres, three counties and four zip codes, the Villages is a meticulously-landscaped master-planned community known for sunshine, socialising and an endless supply of recreational fun for those over the age of 55.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
Residents used to the quiet safety of the master-planned suburban community were perplexed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2024
“Spanish Castle Resort is truly a one-of-a-kind master-planned resort community,” says Tammie Freeman, a broker with Venture Real Estate Group.
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
Lendlease Group and Alphabet's Google reached a mutual agreement to end development services deals for four master-planned districts in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Australian developer said on Friday.
From Reuters ● Nov. 3, 2023
Architects Whitney Smith and Wayne Williams are master-planning 80,000 acres to be called California City, in which more than 8,000 families have already invested some $15 million.
From Time Magazine Archive
Pereira and Luckman's biggest master-planning job to date: overall supervision of U.S.
From Time Magazine Archive
Pereira and Luckman landed their first big overall master-planning job in 1951: a huge guided-missile test center at Florida's Patrick Air Force Base.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
