strategy

[strat-i-jee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR strategy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural strat·e·gies.

Also strategics. the science or art of combining and employing the means of war in planning and directing large military movements and operations.

the use or an instance of using this science or art.

skillful use of a stratagem: The salesperson's strategy was to seem always to agree with the customer.

a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result: a strategy for getting ahead in the world.

Origin of strategy

1680–90; < Greek stratēgía generalship, equivalent to stratēg(ós) military commander, general (strat(ós) army + -ēgos noun derivative of ágein to lead) + -ia -y³

Related formscoun·ter·strat·e·gy, noun, plural coun·ter·strat·e·gies.

Can be confusedstratagem strategystrategy tactics (see synonym study at the current entry)

Synonym study

1. In military usage, a distinction is made between strategy and tactics. Strategy is the utilization, during both peace and war, of all of a nation's forces, through large-scale, long-range planning and development, to ensure security or victory. Tactics deals with the use and deployment of troops in actual combat.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for strategies

planning, blueprint, scenario, system, project, action, program, design, plan, policy, scheme, approach, method, procedure, proposition, subtlety, story, angle, setup, scene

Examples from the Web for strategies

Contemporary Examples of strategies

Thanks to CompStat and strategies added by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, crime continued to decline.
Eric Garner Was Just a Number to Them
Michael Daly
December 5, 2014
All of these strategies need to include young men, so that they are part of the solution.
The Hidden Link Between Women and War
Leith Greenslade
December 3, 2014
When asked to elaborate about other strategies he is exploring to attract more female players, he joked: “Good-looking guys.”
Breaking Polo's Grass Ceiling
Keli Goff
August 20, 2014
I also used several other strategies to increase my chances of a quick conception—but not those most frequently mentioned online.
The Biggest Myths and Truths About Baby Making
Jean Twenge
July 25, 2014
Further research is needed to determine the ideal devices and strategies for preventing and detecting concussions.
This Mouthpiece Will Save Football Players’ Brains
Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD
June 27, 2014

Historical Examples of strategies

What strategies she had had to employ to escape from the house!
Cursed
George Allan England
It is a conflict of principles, it is also a conflict of strategies.
The Wonder of War on Land
Francis Rolt-Wheeler
These are but a few of the strategies which engage the study of the tackle.
American Football
Walter Camp
And you achieved unusual wealth chiefly by the powers and strategies of your character.
I, Mary MacLane
Mary MacLane
Although he disclaims expert knowledge of strategies, he is at least uncommonly well qualified to appraise the things he saw.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 152, June 20, 1917
Various

British Dictionary definitions for strategies

strategy

noun plural -gies

the art or science of the planning and conduct of a war; generalship

a particular long-term plan for success, esp in business or politicsCompare tactics (def. 2)

a plan or stratagem

Word Origin for strategy

C17: from French stratégie, from Greek stratēgia function of a general; see stratagem

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for strategies

strategy

1810, "art of a general," from French stratégie, from Greek strategia "office or command of a general," from strategos "general," from stratos "multitude, army, expedition," literally "that which is spread out" (see structure (n.)) + agos "leader," from agein "to lead" (see act (n.)).