mastermind
verb (used with object)
to plan and direct (a usually complex project or activity), especially skillfully.
masterminded
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past participleof mastermind.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof mastermind.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
mastermindverb (used with object)to plan and direct (a usually complex project or activity), especially skillfully.
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.
And then in 2024 he masterminded the Kursk attack -- the first sustained foreign incursion into Russia since WWII.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
A whole new genre of celebrity divorce: Slate’s Scaachi Koul considers how Bunnie Xo, an archetypical “Cool Girl,” seems to have masterminded a new strategy for getting divorced in the public eye.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
The first phone call should be to Andy Flower, the man who masterminded England's last series win in Australia and took them to the top of the world rankings.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
By comparison, the total illegal profit from the insider-trading scheme masterminded by hedge-fund titan Raj Rajaratnam was $53.8 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Or this bit about Nick: “Everyone agrees that Nick Allen masterminded this plot that cleverly raises issues about free speech and academic rules. He is the boy who invented the new word.”
From "Frindle" by Andrew Clements
