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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

After decades of pollution and years of beach closures caused by raw sewage in the Tijuana River, San Diego County Supervisors approved a local plan to divert the river and treat it directly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

When the Treasury announced the plan it was unclear if the coins would have monetary value or would be purely commemorative, but on Wednesday the US Mint said the coins were "also in circulation."

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

He said a SEP IRA generally works best for someone who wants a simple, low-cost plan with minimal paperwork.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

LSU football coach Lane Kiffin has faced backlash for his plan to add former NFL rookies to the team’s roster.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

I had thought—naively it turns out—that the endeavor, the focus, the plan, might actually make my father proud.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

“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 Frank V. Webster

The MacArthur Park Neighborhood Council formally called for more transparency and input in March, asking to review design concepts before final plans were approved.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Cuts affect both managers and non-managers, and Uber said it plans to fold many of its smallest teams into larger groups, however, the firm has not confirmed the locations most affected by job cuts.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

When complex medical diagnoses emerge, Medicare Advantage subscribers often ditch their plans and switch to traditional Medicare, but making that change can be difficult and expensive.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

The startup plans to use the capital to fund a global hiring spree, aiming to increase its workforce from 650 employees to more than 1,000 by year-end.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Or maybe my aunt had no plans to knock—maybe she was just going to sit me down on the front stoop to wait until some sorry caretaker opened the door and found me there.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

The investor is to sell its remaining stake in Delivery Hero to Uber as part of the planned tie-up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

As planned, the Postal Service system would take a random sample of bulk mail ballots going to voters to make sure the envelopes all contained required information, including special bar codes tied to each voter.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

It planned to raise outside funding for Specs, but the funding never came, according to some of the people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

"The data includes both historical locations and planned future travel, so individuals sensitive to their movements being known may need to take precautions," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Hitler’s air force has something big planned for today.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

But China's top economic planning body said in April that it prohibited the deal, and required "the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction".

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

The research firm says rising memory prices and supply shortages are increasing costs across the smartphone supply chain, prompting brands to take a more cautious approach to shipment planning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

"With each successive government the targets have risen rather than fallen. That suggests the relationship has moved beyond leader-level diplomacy and become embedded in bureaucratic, corporate and strategic planning on both sides."

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Rose Faye is director of financial planning at Edelman Financial Engines.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

I spent all morning planning my Essa project, drawing, choosing colors, and coming up with a timeline for when I’d need to start knitting.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

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