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

At least 37 states have official guidance to use as a blueprint, and this move follows last year's passage of a law in the legislature to ban students access to phones during school hours. — Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026

Maybe there’s a part of the blueprint that says the folks in charge head to 2027 feeling pretty good about almost every position group except quarterback. — Zac Jackson, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

The deal will also preserve jobs at the site, where vehicle production is due to end next year, offering a blueprint for other Volkswagen factories at risk of closure. — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

The genes serve as blueprints for making proteins that drive brain development, but researchers lacked visibility into how those proteins do the work. — Pien Huang, NPR, 4 Sep. 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