plot

American  

[plot] / plɒt /

noun

plots plural

1. a secret plan or scheme to accomplish some purpose, especially a hostile, unlawful, or evil purpose.

   a plot to overthrow the government.

   Synonyms:

   cabal, intrigue

2. Also called storyline.  the plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story.

3. a small piece or area of ground.

   a garden plot;

   burial plot.

4. a measured piece or parcel of land.

   a house on a two-acre plot.

5. a plan, map, diagram, or other graphic representation, as of land, a building, etc.

6. a list, timetable, or scheme dealing with any of the various arrangements for the production of a play, motion picture, etc..

   According to the property plot, there should be a lamp stage left.

7. a chart showing the course of a craft, as a ship or airplane.

8. Artillery. a point or points located on a map or chart.

   target plot.

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verb (used with object)

plots, present (3rd person singular) plotted, past participle, past plotting present participle

1. to plan secretly, especially something hostile or evil.

   to plot mutiny.

   Synonyms:

   frame, hatch, brew

2. to mark on a plan, map, or chart, as the course of a ship or aircraft.

3. to draw a plan or map of, as a tract of land or a building.

4. to divide (land) into plots.

5. to determine and mark (points), as on plotting paper, by means of measurements or coordinates.

6. to draw (a curve) by means of points so marked.

7. to represent by means of such a curve.

8. to devise or construct the plot of (a play, novel, etc.).

9. to prepare a list, timetable, or scheme of (production arrangements), as for a play or motion picture.

   The stage manager hadn't plotted the set changes until one day before the dress rehearsal.

10. to make (a calculation) by graph.

verb (used without object)

plots, present (3rd person singular) plotted, past participle, past plotting present participle

1. to plan or scheme secretly; form a plot; conspire.

2. to devise or develop a literary or dramatic plot.

3. to be marked or located by means of measurements or coordinates, as on plotting paper.

plot ¹ British  

/ plɒt /

noun

1. a small piece of land

   a vegetable plot

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verb

1. (tr) to arrange or divide (land) into plots

plot ² British  

/ plɒt /

noun

1. a secret plan to achieve some purpose, esp one that is illegal or underhand

   a plot to overthrow the government

2. the story or plan of a play, novel, etc

3. military a graphic representation of an individual or tactical setting that pinpoints an artillery target

4. a diagram or plan, esp a surveyor's map

5. informal to lose one's ability or judgment in a given situation

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verb

1. to plan secretly (something illegal, revolutionary, etc); conspire

2. (tr) to mark (a course, as of a ship or aircraft) on a map

3. (tr) to make a plan or map of

4. 1. to locate and mark (one or more points) on a graph by means of coordinates

   2. to draw (a curve) through these points

5. (tr) to construct the plot of (a literary work)

plot Cultural  

1. The organization of events in a work of fiction.

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Synonym Usage

See conspiracy. Plot, conspire, scheme imply secret, cunning, and often unscrupulous planning to gain one's own ends. To plot is to contrive a secret plan of a selfish and often treasonable kind: to plot against someone's life. To conspire is to unite with others in an illicit or illegal machination: to conspire to seize a government. To scheme is to plan ingeniously, subtly, and often craftily for one's own advantage: to scheme how to gain power.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• plotlessness
  noun
• overplot
  verb
• outplot
  verb (used with object)
• preplot
  verb (used with object)
• replot
  verb (used with object)
• plotful
  adjective
• plotless
  adjective
• unplotted
  adjective
• unplotting
  adjective
• well-plotted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• plots
  plural

Participles

• plotting
  present
• plotted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• plot
  simple
• plots
  simple
• have plotted
  perfect
• has plotted
  perfect
• am plotting
  progressive
• are plotting
  progressive
• is plotting
  progressive
• have been plotting
  perfect progressive
• has been plotting
  perfect progressive

Past

• plotted
  simple
• had plotted
  perfect
• was plotting
  progressive
• were plotting
  progressive
• had been plotting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will plot
  simple
• will have plotted
  perfect
• will be plotting
  progressive
• will have been plotting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of plot

First recorded before 1100; the noun has multiple origins: in the sense “piece of ground,” Middle English: “small area, patch, stain, piece of ground,” Old English: “piece of ground” (origin obscure); in the senses “ground plan, outline, map, scheme,” variant (since the 16th century) of plat ¹, itself partly a variant of Middle English, Old English plot; in the sense “secret plan” (from the 16th century), by association with complot; the verb is derivative of the noun

Explanation

A plot is a scheme, a story, a map charting progress, or a piece of land (as for a garden). To plot is to devise a secret plan, order the events of the story, or track your movement on the map. You could make a whole movie based on the word plot. This could be the plot (story): An evil so-and-so hatches a secret plot (scheme) to follow the explorer to a legendary plot (patch) of land with buried treasure. The explorer plots (draws) the best route to the treasure, but the evil so-and-so steals the plot (map) and gets to the treasure first. What a great story. All that's left is to plot (arrange) the sequence of events for maximum suspense.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plot plots plotted plotting

He absolutely hates children, even as the whole plot, somewhat obviously, steers him in the opposite direction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

The central plot involves a young caddie in search of a college scholarship at a snooty golf club.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

"So the assumption by Nato and the Americans is we're going to have to plot our way towards that," Lord Robertson said.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

If you’re wondering what a spy plot has to do with a hospital, you are taking this way too seriously.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

Around 1894, an old friend offered to bury both sisters together in his plot at Cypress Hills.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

In Islington, there are just 106 allotment plots available for around 17,000 households without garden access.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Doherty says it would be inauthentic for that show not to have characters of racial minorities, even if this isn’t something that’s always addressed in the episodes’ plots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

The government has allocated more than 40 plots of land in La Guaira, totaling about 584,000 square meters, for the construction of new homes, Rodriguez said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

They also note that many of the willow plots compared between 2001 and 2020 were not the same locations.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026

Or maybe the whole confession had been orchestrated by Hale—another one of his plots within a plot.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Some establishments had plotted England's potential progress through the tournament and have already applied for and received an event notice.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

The performances are plotted in the chart below.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 15, 2026

And while the women of Chinatown’s faraway past may have daydreamed and even plotted their escapes, See keeps going back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

This correlation between crash probability and trailing two-year return is plotted in the chart above.

From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026

Sneaked around, plotted, and stepped out every night the girl demanded.

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison

The researchers, plotting their cycle alongside how they feel, are investigating whether there's a pattern both in their symptoms and in how effective their medication is at helping manage them.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Stop AI was plotting its next stunt, draping banners from the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, when Kirchner and Allen got into a screaming match over the wording, Allen and other members say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

But given the number of people complaining about the show’s pokey plotting, it was fair to wonder if “The Bear” would again make the cut for Season 4.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

The author’s typically ludicrous plotting centers on a father convicted of the murder of his young son in this eight-part series starring Sam Worthington.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

I am feeding the clucking chickens and singing a chicken song and plotting my journey to the Angels, Los Angeles.

From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

Related Words

• action
• design
• movement
• narrative
• scenario
• scene
• scheme
• story
• structure
• theme