strategize
Americanverb (used without object)
Usage
What does strategize mean? To strategize is to plan or create a plan or strategy for a specific reason or goal. A strategy is a plan for a course of action, especially one that prepares for multiple scenarios or situations. Strategize is commonly used in any context that involves extensive planning, especially the military, business, politics, and sports. Example: One candidate had clearly strategized before the debate and knew how to answer every question and respond to every attack. The other candidate was obviously winging it.
Etymology
Origin of strategize
First recorded in 1970–75; strateg(y) + -ize
Explanation
When you work on a plan with the aim of achieving a goal, you strategize. If you don't strategize before the big debate, you'll probably be unprepared and unconvincing. You and your sister should strategize before presenting your proposal for higher allowances to your mom. That means you'll come up with a game plan to achieve your goal: convincing her that ten dollars a week makes sense. Chess players strategize too, studying the board for possible moves and planning ahead to ultimately put their opponent's king in check mate. Strategize and strategy were first used as military terminology, from a root meaning "military commander."
Vocabulary lists containing strategize
Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms, Unit 1
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Academic and Literary Vocabulary, Unit 2
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The Black Girl Survives in This One
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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:
Aguirre will have to strategize with an eye toward what lies ahead in the next round, which is a single-elimination format.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Inside a glass-encased building in downtown Washington, D.C., this past week, a group of experts hunkered down to strategize how to avoid the AI apocalypse that many doomsayers predict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
His law firm had invented “Mass Torts Made Perfect” and ran it as a conference for elite plaintiffs’ attorneys nationwide to rub elbows and strategize, making him the unofficial president of the polo club posse.
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
A new levies strategy from the U.S. government may create a new set of challenges for companies—and spur more costly legal bills as businesses strategize around new tariff authorities.
From Barron's ● Dec. 22, 2025
Since she was a daughter of Athena, plans were supposed to be her specialty; but it was hard to strategize with her stomach growling and her throat baking.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Ariane strategized with Epstein on pushing back, and thrust the matter into public view by filing a lawsuit in 2015 to control using the name in finance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
“We hoped for the best, but we were strategized for the worst.”
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2025
Asked if a triple play even crossed his mind as he strategized for the Rojas at-bat, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “No, not at all.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2024
In a food truck, cooks strategized about the salads, fruit and pastas that could help cool down the musicians, writing warnings to “Hydrate!!!” and “Apply sunscreen!” next to the day’s menu on whiteboards.
From New York Times ● Jul. 1, 2023
He strategized about how to get the message across, how to wrangle more volunteers and find pockets of people who remained unfound.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
After all the strategizing and prognosticating, what no one can predict is which films will actually connect once audiences arrive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
A change not only to when people can get 100% of the benefit they’re owed, but also to when they might be able to begin claiming, could make strategizing more complex.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Sometimes, that kind of strategizing goes both ways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
He acts as an eagle eye, not playing the game himself, but watching and strategizing to give them the best chance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026
“Sadly, the bridge is already under insurgent control due to questionable strategizing by my bereft cohort.”
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
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.
