blueprint

noun

blue·​print ˈblü-ˌprint 

plural blueprints

1

: a photographic print in white on a bright blue ground or blue on a white ground used especially for copying maps, mechanical drawings, and architects' plans

2

: something or someone resembling a blueprint (as in serving as a model or providing guidance)

… few foundations have taken a similar [investing] route, so there was no blueprint to follow.

—Paul Sullivan

He was an anomaly to the rap world when he arrived, but today he is the blueprint for a generation.

—Jeff Ihaza

especially : a detailed plan or program of action

a blueprint for success

blueprint transitive verb

blueprinted; blueprinting; blueprints

It was not something blueprinted from the start or based on a French bistro archetype; it's a restaurant that has grown and evolved …

—Ian McNulty

Synonyms

• plan
• strategy
• program
• scheme
• project

Examples of blueprint in a Sentence

a blueprint for reforming the public school system

an ambitious young man with a remarkably detailed blueprint for becoming a millionaire by the age of 25

Recent Examples on the Web

Stacie’s 30-year journey is a blueprint for breaking barriers. —Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025

In an era when burnout is rampant and toxicity too often goes unchallenged, Curative Culture is a blueprint for workplaces that dare to be agents of healing. —Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025

Knowing La Niña is coming provides a forecasting blueprint for what winter could look like in terms of temperature and precipitation trends, but La Niña doesn’t always stick to the plan — especially when it’s expected to be weak, meaning other phenomena could join the mix. —Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025

Keep scrolling to shop more cropped jeans, button-up shirts, and trench coats inspired by Meghan Markle’s outfit blueprint below. —Averi Baudler, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for blueprint

• footprint
• imprint
• misprint
• newsprint
• nonprint
• preprint
• reprint
• clint
• dint
• glint
• hint
• lint

Kids Definition

blueprint

1 of 2 noun

blue·​print

ˈblü-ˌprint

1

: a photographic print made with white lines on a blue background and used especially for copying mechanical drawings, maps, and architects' plans

2

: a detailed plan or program of action

blueprint

2 of 2 verb

: to make a blueprint of or for