a scheme or method of acting, doing, proceeding, making, etc., developed in advance.
battle plans.
a design or scheme of arrangement.
an elaborate plan for seating guests.
a specific project or definite purpose.
plans for the future.
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.
a representation of a thing drawn on a plane, as a map or diagram.
a plan of the dock area.
(in perspective drawing) one of several planes in front of a represented object, and perpendicular to the line between the object and the eye.
a formal program for specified benefits, needs, etc..
a pension plan.
a detailed scheme, method, etc, for attaining an objective
(sometimes plural) a proposed, usually tentative idea for doing something
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
an outline, sketch, etc
(in perspective drawing) any of several imaginary planes perpendicular to the line of vision and between the eye and object depicted
to form a plan (for) or make plans (for)
(tr) to make a plan of (a building)
(tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to have in mind as a purpose; intend
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.
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.
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)
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."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the lack of detail in the plan raised county concerns in part because $231 million in spending cuts from the previous stabilization plan “remained unexecuted and unidentified,” Duardo wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Read more about the NHS' plan to test babies for SMA here.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Bankruptcy and a debt-management plan are not easy, but they beat the status quo.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Convincing the owner to sell and executing an improvement plan is a daunting task for even the most skilled dealmakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
“Dad,” I said, “I wish to heaven your plan hadn’t blown up in our faces.”
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
“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.
That would cost an additional £24bn a year relative to current plans.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
It wouldn’t hurt for the Fed to spell out now where the line is, and how it plans to stay on one side in some future crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
They had secured their insurance payout, gotten rebuilding plans approved and hired a contractor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
And one from financial company Schroders says even most workers who are participating in company retirement plans think the math is almost hopeless.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Natalie suddenly thought how strange it was that she was walking around making plans with people she’d just met, but they were all in this together now.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
“I had planned to stay for an extra quarter to finish my undergraduate degree as well, since I had to take a leave of absence for health reasons.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
There was a deal ready to go for closer relations at a UK-EU summit originally planned for next week.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
One centre is even planned next to the famous Tokyo Tower.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
The Wall Street Journal reported in May that the company planned to cut 20% of its staff over that time frame.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“It belongs to his dead grandmother. They planned to bury her in it, but it was too large for the coffin.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Burns' achievement is made even more remarkable by the fact he was not even planning to play at Birkdale this year.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The airline has been hush-hush about its plans, but has secured airport space in Honolulu and Nashville, according to planning documents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
“For investors who are not planning to retire in the next five years, holding one-quarter of your savings in cash comes with a significant opportunity cost,” Boyden said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
He added that security planning is reviewed annually, while Senedd security, police and UK-wide security partners carry out ongoing risk assessments.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
What if she thought they were planning to break in?
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
