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• plan
  plan

  noun

  a scheme or method of acting, doing, proceeding, making, etc., developed in advance.
• plan-
  plan-

  variant of plano- before a vowel.

plan

¹ American  

[plan] / plæn /

noun

• plans
  plural

1. a scheme or method of acting, doing, proceeding, making, etc., developed in advance.

   battle plans.

   Synonyms:

   system, formula, plot

2. a design or scheme of arrangement.

   an elaborate plan for seating guests.

3. a specific project or definite purpose.

   plans for the future.

4. Also called plan view.  a drawing made to scale to represent the top view or a horizontal section of a structure or a machine, as a floor layout of a building.

   Synonyms:

   chart, diagram, draft, sketch

5. a representation of a thing drawn on a plane, as a map or diagram.

   a plan of the dock area.

6. (in perspective drawing) one of several planes in front of a represented object, and perpendicular to the line between the object and the eye.

7. a formal program for specified benefits, needs, etc..

   a pension plan.

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verb (used with object)

• plans,
  present (3rd person singular)
• planned,
  past participle,  past
• planning
  present participle

1. to arrange a method or scheme beforehand for (any work, enterprise, or proceeding).

   to plan a new recreation center.

   Synonyms:

   plot, devise, design

2. to make plans for.

   to plan one's vacation.

3. to draw or make a diagram or layout of, as a building.

verb (used without object)

• plans,
  present (3rd person singular)
• planned,
  past participle,  past
• planning
  present participle

1. to make plans.

   to plan ahead; to plan for one's retirement.

plan- ² American  

1. variant of plano- before a vowel.

   planate.

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plan British  

/ plæn /

noun

1. a detailed scheme, method, etc, for attaining an objective

2. (sometimes plural) a proposed, usually tentative idea for doing something

3. a drawing to scale of a horizontal section through a building taken at a given level; a view from above an object or an area in orthographic projection Compare ground plan elevation

4. an outline, sketch, etc

5. (in perspective drawing) any of several imaginary planes perpendicular to the line of vision and between the eye and object depicted

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verb

1. to form a plan (for) or make plans (for)

2. (tr) to make a plan of (a building)

3. (tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to have in mind as a purpose; intend

plan Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing plan

• best-laid plans

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Usage

What is a basic definition of plan? A plan is a program or method prepared ahead of time, a project or definite purpose, or a design or drawing of something. Plan has several other senses as a noun and a verb. When you come up with a plan, you are creating a method or scheme to do something, make something, or take another kind of action, like a plan for getting your homework done. If someone does something without thinking about what to do, how to do it, and when to do it, they don’t have a plan. A plan doesn’t have to be written down, though. It may only exist in your mind. A person who comes up with a plan is a planner.

• Real-life examples: Your school very likely has a plan for everyone leaving the building if there is a fire. Criminals often come up with a plan  of how they will steal something and when so that they will know what to do and be able to leave quickly.
• Used in a sentence: The prisoners needed hot air balloons for their elaborate escape plan. 

Plan is used in this same sense as a verb to mean to scheme something ahead of time.

• Used in a sentence: We planned a surprise party for my dad. 

Plan can also mean a project or definite purpose that someone has thought about or has scheduled to happen. In this sense, it is often used in the plural as plans.

• Used in a sentence: She couldn’t go hiking with us because she had already made plans to travel to California.

Plan is also used as a synonym for diagram and blueprint. A plan of a warehouse, for example, will likely include drawings of the building’s layout or an outline of where wiring and pipes are located within the walls. Usually, an architect or designer will draw up a plan of a building or prototype so that the builders will know what to do.

• Used in a sentence: The fire chief got the building plan from the janitor, so he could find the circuit breaker.

Synonym Usage

Plan, project, design, scheme imply a formulated method of doing something. Plan refers to any method of thinking out acts and purposes beforehand: What are your plans for today? A project is a proposed or tentative plan, often elaborate or extensive: an irrigation project. Design suggests art, dexterity, or craft (sometimes evil and selfish) in the elaboration or execution of a plan, and often tends to emphasize the purpose in view: a misunderstanding brought about by design. A scheme is apt to be either a speculative, possibly impracticable, plan, or a selfish or dishonest one: a scheme to swindle someone.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• planlessness
  noun
• misplan
  verb
• overplan
  verb
• preplan
  verb
• outplan
  verb (used with object)
• replan
  verb (used with object)
• underplan
  verb (used with object)
• unplan
  verb (used with object)
• planless
  adjective
• well-planned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• plans
  plural

Participles

• planning
  present
• planned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• plan
  simple
• plans
  simple
• have planned
  perfect
• has planned
  perfect
• am planning
  progressive
• are planning
  progressive
• is planning
  progressive
• have been planning
  perfect progressive
• has been planning
  perfect progressive

Past

• planned
  simple
• had planned
  perfect
• was planning
  progressive
• were planning
  progressive
• had been planning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will plan
  simple
• will have planned
  perfect
• will be planning
  progressive
• will have been planning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of plan

First recorded in 1670–80; from French: “ground, plan, groundwork, scheme,” noun use of the adjective: “flat” ( see plane ¹), a learned borrowing of Latin plānus “level” ( cf. plain ¹)

Explanation

Do you have an idea of what you want and have thought carefully and in detail about how to get it? Then you have a plan, a series of actions required to achieve a particular goal. A plan can exist only in your head, or it can be a physical object, such as an architectural plan of a building, showing how you propose to build it. As a verb, plan means the act of thinking about how to achieve your aims. You might plan to apply to colleges soon. When you plan something, you're laying the seeds for a future result, so it's not surprising that plan comes from the early English word plante, meaning "seedling."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plan plan- plans planned planning

Now that picture is uncertain amid the fallout from Fifa's failed private investment plan.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Part of the problem with curtailing risk in a retirement plan is that Americans are living longer, and their portfolios need to last their entire life.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

Wendy’s rose after revenue topped expectations and its chief executive said a strategic turnaround plan would be presented at the next quarterly update.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

To be precise, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been hesitant in reacting to the plan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

The more she said things like that, the more I thought about my backup plan.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

“Correct. With their defenses in shambles, the Keepers stalled for time, putting off answering Icarion’s demands. The Icarions were not fooled. “They moved the Protocol into the space between the two plan- ets.

From The Verge ● Jun. 11, 2019

The team says they need time to perform an investigation into the commissioner’s grounds for attempting to end the Dodgers’ plan- filing exclusivity.

From BusinessWeek ● Sep. 28, 2011

Kepler’s third or harmonic law, a precise connection between the size of a plan- et’s orbit and the period for it to go once around the Sun.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

"Grub" in other words, supper, was served, a prodigious number of "plan- cakes" being consumed.

From Cowboy Dave by Webster, Frank V.

Speaking after the attack, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he plans to introduce laws that restrict the carrying of firearms in public, with the new legislation only allowing government officials on duty to carry guns.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Clarios, a car-battery maker backed by Brookfield, last year scrapped plans for a U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

She plans to return to her role as Princess Jane when she recovers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Something to look forward to on Monday: Picture a time when plans didn’t require a 12-person group chat, three calendar apps, and a poll just to grab a drink.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026

If he’s too busy making plans, then I can figure this map out on my own.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

But in early 2018, ahead of a planned tour, Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac after Nicks allegedly issued the band an ultimatum threatening to leave if he wasn’t cut.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

A bigger facility, at 9.2 gigawatts, is planned in Ohio under a public-private partnership involving SoftBank.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Alex says she tried to dismiss what happened, but she now believes the hotel encounter had been "all planned out".

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Materials such as boron arsenide may allow engineers to direct heat along planned routes with nanoscale accuracy instead of waiting for it to spread and then trying to remove it.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

Had his parents planned to travel with them so young?

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

He added there was no indication the teenager was planning the attack.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Marie Pichay, city planning associate with the City Planning Department, said the case is under advisement and a decision has not been reached.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

CFO background and cred: O’Brien joined the company in 1997 and has held several finance, planning and strategy roles throughout his time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

No one knew what Lobga Rangzen was planning.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Miss Mortimer spoke quietly and evenly, as if planning how to hide from one’s enemies was a usual topic of conversation one might have after breakfast.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• arrangement
• deal
• idea
• intention
• method
• policy
• procedure
• program
• project
• proposal
• strategy
• suggestion
• system
• treatment