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 of blueprint

• 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

While Newcastle planned for the loss of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer, Guimaraes’ departure was not in their blueprint and those three moving on have left a void of players in their prime years. — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Teaching machines to recognize when reality no longer matches the blueprint could unlock far more useful applications for robotics. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026

But there's a risk in letting the college application checklist strategy become the blueprint for a teenager's entire high school experience. — Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026

The proposals slated to be heard at Tuesday’s San Jose City Council meeting are part of a four-year review of Envision San José 2040 — the city’s long-term blueprint governing land use, housing and growth first approved in 2011. — Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026

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