project
Americannoun
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something that is contemplated, devised, or planned; plan; scheme.
I have several little projects around the house that I’d like to tackle in my time off.
- Synonyms:
- proposal
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a large or major undertaking, especially one involving considerable money, personnel, and equipment.
The city is undertaking several public works projects to modernize and upgrade infrastructure.
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a specific task of investigation, especially in scholarship.
Federal funding supports some cancer-related projects while other research is sustained by private grants.
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Education. a supplementary, long-term educational assignment necessitating personal initiative, undertaken by an individual student or a group of students.
For my literature class project, I wrote an original rock opera and performed one song from it.
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Informal. the projects, a housing project, typically one constructed as a development of high-rise towers with apartments for low-income residents, especially in the second half of the 20th century.
Back in those days, the projects were no place to raise a family.
verb (used with object)
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to propose, contemplate, or plan.
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to throw, cast, or impel forward or onward.
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to set forth or calculate (some future thing).
They projected the building costs for the next five years.
- Synonyms:
- predict
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to throw or cause to fall upon a surface or into space, as a ray of light or a shadow.
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to cause (a figure or image) to appear, as on a background.
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to regard (something within the mind, as a feeling, thought, or attitude) as having some form of reality outside the mind.
He projected a thrilling picture of the party's future.
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to cause to jut out or protrude.
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Geometry.
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to throw forward an image of (a figure or the like) by straight lines or rays, either parallel, converging, or diverging, that pass through all its points and reproduce it on another surface or figure.
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to transform the points (of one figure) into those of another by a correspondence between points.
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to present (an idea, program, etc.) for consideration or action.
They made every effort to project the notion of world peace.
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to use (one's voice, gestures, etc.) forcefully enough to be perceived at a distance, as by all members of the audience in a theater.
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to communicate clearly and forcefully (one's thoughts, personality, role, etc.) to an audience, as in a theatrical performance; produce a compelling image of.
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to cause (the voice) to appear to come from a source other than oneself, as in ventriloquism; throw.
verb (used without object)
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to extend or protrude beyond something else.
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to use one's voice forcefully enough to be heard at a distance, as in a theater.
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to produce a clear impression of one's thoughts, personality, role, etc., in an audience; communicate clearly and forcefully.
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Psychology. to ascribe one's own feelings, thoughts, or attitudes to others.
noun
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a proposal, scheme, or design
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a task requiring considerable or concerted effort, such as one by students
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the subject of such a task
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short for housing project
verb
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(tr) to propose or plan
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(tr) to predict; estimate; extrapolate
we can project future needs on the basis of the current birth rate
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(tr) to throw or cast forwards
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to jut or cause to jut out
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(tr) to send forth or transport in the imagination
to project oneself into the future
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(tr) to cause (an image) to appear on a surface
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to cause (one's voice) to be heard clearly at a distance
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psychol
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(intr) (esp of a child) to believe that others share one's subjective mental life
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to impute to others (one's hidden desires and impulses), esp as a means of defending oneself Compare introject
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(tr) geometry to draw a projection of
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(intr) to communicate effectively, esp to a large gathering
Synonym Usage
See plan.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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counterprojectnoun
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subprojectnoun
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reprojectverb
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nonprojectingadjective
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projectableadjective
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unprojectedadjective
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unprojectingadjective
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projectinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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projectsimple
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projectssimple
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have projectedperfect
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has projectedperfect
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am projectingprogressive
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are projectingprogressive
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is projectingprogressive
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have been projectingperfect progressive
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has been projectingperfect progressive
Past
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projectedsimple
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had projectedperfect
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was projectingprogressive
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were projectingprogressive
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had been projectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of project
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun project(e) “design, plan,” from Medieval Latin prōjectum, Latin: “projecting part,” noun use of neuter of Latin prōjectus, past participle of prōicere “to throw forward, extend,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + -icere, combining form of jacere “to throw”
Explanation
A project is a piece of work that is planned or intended. Plan a little extra time for your gingerbread house project — gluing the walls and roof can take a while. If you call a person your project, pronounced PRAH-jekt, it means you are trying to improve them by telling them how to behave, etc. As a verb, pronounced pro-JEKT, it means to jut out literally — The fireplace projects into the dining room — or figuratively — Try to project your ideas forcefully. If you assume another person is feeling the same things you are, you are projecting your feelings onto them.
Vocabulary lists containing project
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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.
See Examples For:
Immortals is funding Tolo’s wellness project; the effort is expected to cost $2.6 million annually, a figure that encompasses spending on equipment, testing and a dedicated team to keep the project running.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Sanchez added that the project will be operated at no cost to taxpayers and went through the city’s public review process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
The research team used harmonized survey data collected between 2009 and 2023 through the Gateway to Global Aging Data project.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Ronnie Gurr, a former chief executive officer of the Scottish Music Industry Association, told the BBC's Radio Scotland Breakfast programme it was "a very ambitious project whose times has come".
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Talking the whole time, Samantha Embriano and Kayla tacked their extra-credit poster project about primaries to the bulletin board.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
As foreign oil majors -- dogged by pollution scandals in the Niger Delta -- have left many onshore projects to focus on offshore extraction, local firms have stepped in.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
He seeks the input of local residents in his planned projects so they can participate in beautifying their neighborhoods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Last week the government announced several projects it was funding to protect threatened species including a scheme aiming to increase the numbers of northern dune tiger beetles and natterjack toads in Cumbria.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Citizen science projects allow people without specialized scientific training to contribute valuable observations.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
When responding to disasters, one challenge for PIH and all other NGOs has been to direct as much funding as possible into on-the-ground projects.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
But nine other officials projected the Fed could keep rates unchanged all year.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
In earlier emails to the city, the nonprofit projected it would cost $218 million to build the underground parking, storage, theater and library for the museum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Musk's projected $1tn in revenue is roughly 55 times that.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Temperatures increased 8-12° Celsius over thousands of years to cause the Great Dying, and today, over just 100-200 years, temperatures are projected to be 1.5-4°
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
Seven projected her voice as much as she could.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
In a Monday note, Nowak raised his capital-expenditure forecasts for those five hyperscalers — and is now projecting a combined $1.2 trillion in 2027 and $1.4 trillion by 2028.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
An update on second-quarter results from the South Korean giant had the company projecting record operating profits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The ECB lowered its growth forecasts last month, projecting the eurozone economy will expand 0.8% this year and 1.2% in 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
A person close to the matter said the studio is not concerned about the film’s expected performance and was projecting that it would deliver strong numbers over the course of its theatrical run.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Or maybe I’m just projecting my better self onto her.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
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.
