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.
-
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
-
schemernoun
-
subschemenoun
-
underschemenoun
-
outschemeverb (used with object)
-
schemelessadjective
-
unschemedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
McFadden spoke to the BBC during a visit to Boots in Nottingham, where young people had started jobs in a pilot of the government's Jobs Guarantee scheme.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Plaid ministers want to phase the rest of the scheme over time - but until that is spelled out the party will continue to face scrutiny over how it's achieved.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Ofgem has a proposed debt relief scheme on the table, and campaigners keep telling them to get on with it, urging the government as to provide funding for it to be implemented.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
That is still pretty small in the grand scheme of things: U.S. money-market funds are close to $8 trillion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
It was September when Abel evolved another scheme for getting home.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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
Host Cafe, in the heart of the City of London, is home to one of these schemes.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 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
Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer used to take advantage of throwing to the tight end when playing at USC and in the NFL, and there’s no doubt Gazzaniga feels comfortable in the Eagles’ offensive schemes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
If she could startle the chameleon just enough, he might show his real face, and V might be able to foil any chameleon-like schemes he’d been hatching.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
Sean McVay and the Rams schemed against Kliff Kingsbury when he coached the Arizona Cardinals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
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
No matter how she screamed and schemed, her husband refused to loosen his purse strings.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
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
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
When “The Traitors” executive producer Mike Cotton and his colleagues brought the first season of Peacock’s reality competition to American audiences, doing so with a cast of unknowns scheming for a six-figure prize seemed risky.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
It wasn’t only wickedness and scheming that made people unhappy, it was confusion and misunderstanding; above all, it was the failure to grasp the simple truth that other people are as real as you.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
