plan

1 of 3

noun

1
: a drawing or diagram drawn on a plane: such as
a
: a top or horizontal view of an object
b
: a large-scale map of a small area
2
a
: a method for achieving an end
b
: an often customary method of doing something : procedure
c
: a detailed formulation of a program of action
d
: goal, aim
3
: an orderly arrangement of parts of an overall design or objective
4
: a detailed program (as for payment or the provision of some service)
pension plan
planless adjective
planlessly adverb
planlessness noun

plan

2 of 3

verb

planned; planning

transitive verb

1
: to arrange the parts of : design
plan a new layout
2
: to devise or project the realization or achievement of
planned their escape
3
: to have in mind : intend
plans to leave soon

intransitive verb

1
: to make plans
plan ahead
2
: to have a specified intention
used with on
plans on going

plan-

3 of 3

combining form

variants or plano-
1
: flat
planography
2
: flat and
plano-concave
Choose the Right Synonym for plan

plan, design, plot, scheme, project mean a method devised for making or doing something or achieving an end.

plan always implies mental formulation and sometimes graphic representation.

plans for a house

design often suggests a particular pattern and some degree of achieved order or harmony.

a design for a new dress

plot implies a laying out in clearly distinguished sections with attention to their relations and proportions.

the plot of the play

scheme stresses calculation of the end in view and may apply to a plan motivated by craftiness and self-interest.

a scheme to defraud the government

project often stresses imaginative scope and vision.

a project to develop the waterfront

Examples of plan in a Sentence

Noun the army's plan of attack We need to agree on a plan of action. Our plan was to have the guests park on the street, not the lawn. When we met them at the restaurant, they said there had been a change of plan. He changed his long-distance plan. Verb We are busy planning the party. The prisoners spent months planning their escape. a teacher planning her next lesson The students are planning a protest. We have something very special planned for your birthday. Their wedding is planned for June. a planned series of books about cars Things don't always go as planned. Always remember to plan ahead.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
As a result of its investment, an Alexa Fund executive earned a board observer seat at the company and got access to Nucleus’s financials, strategic plans, and other proprietary information. Dana Mattioli, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024 In short, this satellite plan is a lose-lose proposition. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024 All available capital should be earmarked to execute and accelerate the Company's current internal growth plan and future strategic acquisition growth. Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2024 Crutchfield's plan last week was to search Kern Park, a 30-acre greenspace nestled between the Milwaukee River's western shore and North Humboldt Boulevard. Jessica Van Egeren, Journal Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2024 Here are the senior discounts and plans offered by mobile carriers. James Powel, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024 Advertisement The original plan was for UC San Diego to assume Tri-City’s assets and debt, running the medical center through a joint powers authority controlled by the university, with minority representation from Tri-City. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024 The plan the men laid out two months later was simple: Mr. Pecker would use The Enquirer to publish positive stories about Mr. Trump’s campaign and negative stories about his rivals. Michael Rothfeld, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024 Yellowjackets showrunners have previously stated that their original plan was for the show to run five seasons. Skyler Trepel, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Verb
Roadside plans to open the film nationwide for the fall awards season. Brent Lang, Variety, 23 Apr. 2024 Shares of the company, which is planning to move its Detroit headquarters to a new downtown office building next year, jumped more than 5% in early morning trading. Tom Krisher, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024 No details were available Monday about the parking planned for the Hesperia station. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024 In yet another example of Japan’s accelerating efforts in the AI space, Nikkei reported that Japanese telecom SoftBank plans to invest $960 million by 2025 to purchase the AI chips—that is, Nvidia GPUs—required to develop and power its own large language model on par with OpenAI’s GPT-4. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024 The students plan to remain until the school divests from defense contractors profiting from the war in Gaza, such as BlackRock, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, Afaneh said. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024 It was also handed a May 3 deadline to respond to other questions about how the app plans to protect minors and the mental health of users. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024 There's no time like the present to start planning your summer beauty game, and Rihanna's here to serve up some inspo, per usual. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 23 Apr. 2024 This month, the group plans to open Only Love Strangers, a bar, jazz lounge and restaurant in a bi-level space in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a few blocks away from the original MáLà Project. Devorah Lev-Tov Kin Woo Ella Riley-Adams Jameson Montgomery Kurt Soller Megan O’Sullivan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, plane, foundation, ground plan; partly from Latin planum level ground, from neuter of planus level; partly from French planter to plant, fix in place, from Late Latin plantare — more at floor, plant

Combining form

Latin planus

First Known Use

Noun

1735, in the meaning defined at sense 2c

Verb

1718, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of plan was in 1718

Dictionary Entries Near plan

Cite this Entry

“Plan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plan. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

plan

1 of 2 noun
1
: a drawing or diagram showing the parts or outline of something
2
: a method or scheme of acting, doing, or arranging
a civil defense plan
vacation plans
3
: goal sense 2, aim
our plan was to stop them at the bridge
planless adjective

plan

2 of 2 verb
planned; planning
1
: to form a plan of or for : to arrange the parts or details of ahead of time
plan a church
plan a party
2
: to have in mind : intend
3
: to make plans
planner noun

Legal Definition

plan

noun
1
: a diagram of an area of land (as a subdivision) filed in the registry of deeds see also plot plan
2
: a detailed program
especially : one made under chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code that places future earnings under the control of a trustee, provides for the payment of creditors, and is subject to approval by the creditors

More from Merriam-Webster on plan

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