mastermind

American  

[mas-ter-mahynd, mah-ster-] / ˈmæs tərˌmaɪnd, ˈmɑ stər- /

verb (used with object)

1. to plan and direct (a usually complex project or activity), especially skillfully.

   Two colonels had masterminded the revolt.

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noun

1. a person who originates or is primarily responsible for the execution of a particular idea, project, or the like.

   the masterminds of company policy.

mastermind British  

/ ˈmɑːstəˌmaɪnd /

verb

1. (tr) to plan and direct (a complex undertaking)

   he masterminded the robbery

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noun

1. a person of great intelligence or executive talent, esp one who directs an undertaking

Etymology

Origin of mastermind

First recorded in 1710–20; master + mind

Explanation

A mastermind is a brilliant thinker with original ideas. You might be a chess mastermind or a criminal mastermind: either way, people will not want to oppose you. Inventors, intellectuals, and famous geniuses call all be called masterminds, from Albert Einstein to theoretical physicist Dr. Shirley Jackson. You could also call people who are successful in their fields — especially if they come up with new ways of doing things — masterminds. Even a brilliant jewel thief might be called a safe-cracking mastermind. As a verb, to mastermind is to act as the leader of some complex plan or scheme.

Example Sentences

Halperin’s accusers were gobsmacked to see Kelly, who’d once given them a sympathetic platform on the Today show, turn around and mastermind his comeback.

From Slate • May 6, 2026

The mastermind behind ASML’s unlikeliest hit product is a data analyst named Rick Lenssen—or, as he’s now known to some colleagues, Brick Lenssen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

“Hannah was the mastermind who figured out four nesting possibilities.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

“Now, with French authorities and the U.S. Department of Justice identifying Dmitry Klyuev as the mastermind, we finally see a trial against the key perpetrator of the $230 million fraud uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky.”

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Not a great thinker, not the mastermind of the rebellion, merely a face plucked from the rabble because I had caught the nation’s attention with my antics in the Games.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• organize