master plan
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to construct a master plan for.
to master-plan one's career.
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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.
noun
Etymology
Origin of master plan
First recorded in 1925–30
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.
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
Carney’s master plan for breaking U.S. dependency—extracting more natural resources and diversifying their export—will take years at best, and he may not be making the best start.
From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025
The first map, he said, is consistent with the master plan already in place, while the second map is only a concept: “It doesn’t tell you how it’s going to get there.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2025
I was stupid to think that the universe had some master plan.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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.
