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

If successful, Angry Tortoise could become a blueprint for a new class of affordable hypersonic systems designed to demonstrate speed and be built, stored, and deployed at scale. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025

Those teams serve as a blueprint for what is ahead. —Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025

Its music is both jazzier and more operatic; the flow and technical blueprint of each stage completely deviate from what’s been seen before. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025

From Peripheral to Strategic In China’s economic blueprint, the west has long been seen as a land of opportunity — rich in resources but historically underdeveloped compared to coastal hubs. —Li Jun, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 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