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.
-
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)
-
schemes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
schemed,
past participle, past
-
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
-
a visionary or unrealizable project
-
a chart, diagram, or outline
-
an astrological diagram giving the aspects of celestial bodies at a particular time
-
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
-
subschemenoun
-
underschemenoun
-
outschemeverb (used with object)
-
schemelessadjective
-
unschemedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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schemesimple
-
schemessimple
-
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
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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:
But she added she did not think benefits in terms of cost of living were measured by the scheme.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
The Government response also said it recognised there were concerns about the running costs of the scheme.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The report called for "urgent" reform of the scheme, saying that it is "not sufficiently supportive".
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Kaur, who is an Indian national, could be eligible for the government's deportation scheme.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Washington opposed the scheme on several grounds, but confided his deepest reasons to Henry Laurens, president of the Continental Congress.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Croick and Dieffenbach worked via Zoom to study schemes, installations and the skills it took to play under center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
While private prescriptions for Wegovey and Mounjaro have soared, fewer than half of Scotland's health boards currently offer the treatment specifically for weight loss - and then only as part of small pilot schemes.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
In one example, an unnamed customer was repeatedly connected to fraud schemes and high-risk international payments wires that were being investigated by law enforcement, resulting in more than 100 compliance cases, the filing said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Several labelling schemes, including from Britain, France and Germany, were being showcased at the world's biggest book industry fair in Frankfurt this week, where the challenges posed by AI were hotly debated.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
“I’ve learned my lesson. No more wooing rich widows for me! No more crackpot schemes about ostrich racing! I’ll stick to good honest ballooning from now on.”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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
His character, who schemed to succeed his ailing father as chief executive of the fictional Waystar Royco media and entertainment conglomerate, earned Strong his first Emmy Award in 2020, as well as two additional nominations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 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
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
Elsewhere on the front page, two contestants from this season of the Celebrity Traitors, Maya Jama and Richard E Grant, are pictured scheming in their iconic green cloaks.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
"I know what I did, I know what we did, and I know how it happened. It didn't feel like we were scheming or plotting."
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Rent-seeking doesn’t require corrupt businessmen scheming with corrupt politicians.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
And Zendaya’s Athena “turns out to be a vulnerable victim of war, or perhaps a projection of Odysseus’ conscience — not a scheming and bloodthirsty war goddess.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
It would take only a word to the guards for Matthias to put an end to all their scheming.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
