scheme
Americannoun
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a plan, design, or program of action to be followed; project.
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an underhand plot; intrigue.
- Synonyms:
- conspiracy, cabal, stratagem
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a visionary or impractical project.
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a body or system of related doctrines, theories, etc..
a scheme of philosophy.
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any system of correlated things, parts, etc., or the manner of its arrangement.
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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.
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an astrological diagram of the heavens.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a systematic plan for a course of action
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a systematic arrangement of correlated parts; system
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a secret plot
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a visionary or unrealizable project
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a chart, diagram, or outline
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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
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an area of housing that is laid out esp by a local authority; estate
verb
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(tr) to devise a system for
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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
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schemessimple
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have schemedperfect
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has schemedperfect
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am schemingprogressive
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are schemingprogressive
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is schemingprogressive
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have been schemingperfect progressive
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has been schemingperfect progressive
Past
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schemedsimple
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had schemedperfect
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was schemingprogressive
-
were schemingprogressive
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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:
Commerce Department’s “Entity List” over national-security concerns related to a trade-secret theft scheme with military applications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Consumer prices rose 3.34 percent in June, and growing economic strain triggered protests by students demanding the government stop excessive spending, including on its billion-dollar free-meals scheme, which has since been cut back.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Burnham announced last week that he was pausing the scheme, which would have seen about 700 prisoners freed in the first phase in September, following a backlash from survivors and victims.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
As part of that scheme, they alleged, Goldstein also shaved millions off his true law firm income and lied to lenders about his debts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
In short, the Quaker petition for an end of the slave trade was really a stalking horse for a more radical and thoroughgoing scheme to end the institution of slavery itself.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
However, it said it had "not received any further details" and believed fare-cap schemes "must be fully funded" for operators.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
A single father using a community larder to feed his family says he is facing a difficult summer as food donations fall and voucher schemes end.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Fraudsters can be in search of higher pay from padded credentials or may have more sophisticated schemes in mind, like gaining access to company data.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
The schemes ease economic regulations such as taxation and customs duties within a given territory to attract investors.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
While outlining his schemes for future financial betterment, he signed the check and pushed it across his desk.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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
Sean McVay schemed against Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio only once as the Rams’ coach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 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
For the next five years, Blake schemed a way to escape the high walls and drab food of "the Scrubs," as it was called by the inmates.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
After a charming monologue in which she also sang, Rodrigo played a scheming woman in a “Dynasty”-like nighttime soap opera from the 1980s, “Edge of Destiny,” where people kept falling down the stairs.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026
A year ago her predecessor, Peter Kyle, unveiled a set of government tools powered by AI, named "Humphrey" after the scheming official from the classic BBC sitcom Yes, Minister.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
Other invitees include a flighty young woman named Theodora and the homeowner’s nephew Luke; they join the scheming Montague and the home’s caretakers, Mr. and Mrs. Dudley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
“So now it looks like I had been kind of scheming and forcing this to happen,” Adkins said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
Heather hops on the treadmill and resumes scheming.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
