scheme
Americannoun
-
schemes
plural
-
a plan, design, or program of action to be followed; project.
-
an underhand plot; intrigue.
- Synonyms:
- conspiracy, cabal, stratagem
-
a visionary or impractical project.
-
a body or system of related doctrines, theories, etc..
a scheme of philosophy.
-
any system of correlated things, parts, etc., or the manner of its arrangement.
-
a plan, program, or policy officially adopted and followed, as by a government or business.
The company's pension scheme is very successful.
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an analytical or tabular statement.
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a diagram, map, or the like.
-
an astrological diagram of the heavens.
verb (used with object)
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schemes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
schemed,
past participle, past
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scheming
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
schemes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
schemed,
past participle, past
-
scheming
present participle
noun
-
a systematic plan for a course of action
-
a systematic arrangement of correlated parts; system
-
a secret plot
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a visionary or unrealizable project
-
a chart, diagram, or outline
-
an astrological diagram giving the aspects of celestial bodies at a particular time
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a plan formally adopted by a commercial enterprise or governmental body, as for pensions, etc
-
an area of housing that is laid out esp by a local authority; estate
verb
-
(tr) to devise a system for
-
to form intrigues (for) in an underhand manner
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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schemernoun
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subschemenoun
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underschemenoun
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outschemeverb (used with object)
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schemelessadjective
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unschemedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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schemesimple
-
schemessimple
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have schemedperfect
-
has schemedperfect
-
am schemingprogressive
-
are schemingprogressive
-
is schemingprogressive
-
have been schemingperfect progressive
-
has been schemingperfect progressive
Past
-
schemedsimple
-
had schemedperfect
-
was schemingprogressive
-
were schemingprogressive
-
had been schemingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scheme
First recorded in 1545–55; from Medieval Latin schēma (stem schēmat- ), from Greek schêma “form, figure”
Explanation
A scheme is an elaborate plan or plot. It's going to take a really solid scheme, probably involving teleportation or some sort of temporary cloning, to make an appearance at both parties at once. Scheme comes to us from the Latin word for "figure." And it's still used today to refer to a set of drawings and figures used to map out something. Or maybe you’ve heard people talk about something in the scheme of life." In that case they're talking about something that fits into the bigger picture. But don't forget that schemes often carry a negative connotation — the word brings to mind devious plans and secret plots organized by scheming bad guys.
Vocabulary lists containing scheme
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry
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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:
The scheme has also received support from other businesses in the local food industry.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Upstream Cymru is a school-based intervention scheme based on Australia's Geelong project, which saw a 40% drop in youth homelessness, external.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Enright says counterfeit devices are a bigger problem outside of the U.S., and that the scheme is typically to make a quick buck off the initial sale, not to hack the buyer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
It can also be difficult to advertise the scheme, says Gornicka, who wants it to be used more often and by people from different backgrounds.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
“You’re dad burned right we’re turning you and your harebrained scheme down!”
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
It added: "Authorities have the discretion to design their own schemes, within the CRF guidance, to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry."
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The results indicate that pollinator-friendly planting schemes may need to consider more than simply providing large numbers of flowers.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
Reports in Mexican media have linked López Beltrán to various corruption schemes, which he has denied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Los Angeles is known for outlandish schemes targeting the rich.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The manpower needs created by the six-year war generated several emancipation schemes whereby slaves would be freed and their owners compensated in return for enlistment for the duration of the conflict.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
He schemed to get an imported copy seized by customs to trigger a court case over its content.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Afforded extra space by his manager's decision to play Jack Grealish alongside him in a central position, De Bruyne schemed in the way he usually does.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2024
City-states, hoping to win civic glory, sometimes schemed to bribe top athletes to falsely claim that city as their own.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2024
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy schemed against Stafford for 10 seasons when McCarthy coached the Green Bay Packers and Stafford played for the Lions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2023
As for Penelope, she had found the whole business utterly exhausting, but she was glad of the outcome, for of course it was precisely what she had hoped and schemed for.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Where are the well-rounded characters, smart dialogue, ingenious scheming on one side and even more ingenious problem-solving on the other?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
It could be argued Tielemans' arrival addresses an issue Manchester United have had since Carrick quit in 2018; the scheming midfielder with an eye for a pass, who can break a defensive line.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Deluded self-mythologizing was at the core of Johnson’s mockumentary series “Nirvanna the Band the Show” and well-regarded movie expansion about two musicians perpetually scheming to perform at Toronto’s Rivoli club.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Ms. Aviv writes of a psychotic mother with persecutory delusions who thinks her eldest daughter is in league with a scheming professor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The scheming look actually made Hanako a little nervous.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
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.
