strategy
Americannoun
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strategies
plural
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Also strategics. the science or art of combining and employing the means of war in planning and directing large military movements and operations.
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the use or an instance of using this science or art.
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skillful use of a stratagem.
The salesperson's strategy was to seem always to agree with the customer.
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a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result.
a strategy for getting ahead in the world.
noun
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the art or science of the planning and conduct of a war; generalship
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a particular long-term plan for success, esp in business or politics Compare tactics
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a plan or stratagem
Usage
What is strategy? A strategy is a plan or method put in place to achieve a goal or result, as in Blanca’s strategy for passing the test was to study every night until test day. Strategy can refer to the use of tactics in the planning of military operations, usually to succeed in a battle or war. In a military context, a strategy can refer to an overall plan, a specific or broad goal, or the execution of said plan or goal. Strategy can also refer to the use of a strategy to meet a goal, as in The only way to win a war is with a solid strategy. Example: Their strategy was to distract the enemy and then sneak in from behind.
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of strategy
First recorded in 1680–90; from Greek stratēgía “generalship,” equivalent to stratēg(os) “military commander, general” ( strat(ós) “army” + -ēgos, noun derivative of ágein “to lead”) + -ia -y 3
Explanation
In the game of capture-the-flag, running toward your flag screaming is not a good strategy. A strategy is any plan you make to achieve a goal. The word strategy was developed to describe plans people made for war, and strategies often rely on certain chief assets––the British strategy for world domination relied on its naval superiority, our strategy for this game relies on the other team's poor level of fitness. After they're exhausted, we go for the goal.
Vocabulary lists containing strategy
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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List 4
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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 of course the strategy carries the risks you allude to—that its retail partners will simply sell Adidas shoes on their online storefronts rather than Nike’s, and this will hit sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
JPMorgan’s market-intelligence team focused on short-term, or what’s called tactical, strategy, looking at daily sentiment, order flows and positioning, vs the more fundamental research the bank also provides.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Newey was followed out of the door by long-time sporting director Jonathan Wheatley and head of strategy Will Courtenay.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The conversations gave him a renewed insight into the importance of flexibility and agility when it comes to shaping strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Jim’s “big shot” strategy, as Farmer called it, had worked: dream high, work hard, be open to new, better ideas when they come along, and never, ever give up.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
The defendants have pursued various strategies to have the case dismissed before reaching trial, including arguing that federal law preempts the legal claims raised in the lawsuit.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
"Those skills absolutely can be taught. Students learn how to plan and produce video content, develop campaigns, understand audiences, analyse performance data and adapt strategies based on that data."
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
They then selected the most promising strategies, KL001 and time-restricted feeding, and tested them in mouse models of stroke.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
Instead, it’s based on each fund’s “performance benchmark,” a secondary index permitted by the SEC that reflects the portfolios’ strategies more accurately than the Agg does.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
“Visual strategies are most significant to students whose hearing is compromised. It’s their primary means for receiving information.”
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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.
