mastermind
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
verb
noun
Etymology
Origin of mastermind
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nearly three decades before he became known as the Minnesota Timberwolves’ defensive mastermind, Chris Finch stared at his lineup and made the strangest roster cut of his career.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
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 two days of fierce fighting also killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara -- seen as the mastermind behind the junta's pivot to Russia.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
He helped mastermind Sir Keir's rise to the top of the party, and then to Downing Street.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
They were looking for a mastermind; the thief had to live up to the theft.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
