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design

verb de·sign \ di-ˈzīn \
|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Definition of design

transitive verb
1 : to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan : devise, contrive
  • design a system for tracking inventory
2 a : to conceive and plan out in the mind
  • he designed the perfect crime
b : to have as a purpose : intend
  • she designed to excel in her studies
c : to devise for a specific function or end
  • a book designed primarily as a college textbook
  • a suitcase designed to hold a laptop computer
3 archaic : to indicate with a distinctive mark, sign, or name
4 a : to make a drawing, pattern, or sketch of
  • … a curious woman whose dresses always looked as if they had been designed in a rage …
  • —Oscar Wilde
b : to draw the plans for
  • design a building
  • designing a new bike
intransitive verb
1 : to conceive or execute a plan
2 : to draw, lay out, or prepare a design
  • was trained to design for homes and offices
—

designedly

play \-ˈzī-nəd-lē\ adverb

See design defined for English-language learners

See design defined for kids

Examples of design in a Sentence

  1. A team of engineers designed the new engine.

  2. Who designed the book's cover?

  3. He designed the chair to adjust automatically.

  4. They thought they could design the perfect crime.

  5. design a strategy for battle

Recent Examples of design from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'design.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of design

Middle English, to outline, indicate, mean, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French designer to designate, from Medieval Latin designare, from Latin, to mark out, from de- + signare to mark — more at sign

design Synonyms

Synonyms

arrange, blueprint, budget, calculate, chart, choreograph, frame, lay out, map (out), organize, plan, prepare, project, scheme (out), shape, strategize (about);

Related Words

conspire, contrive, devise, intrigue, machinate, plot, put up;

concert, get up;

draft, outline, sketch;

aim, figure, have on, intend, mean;

contemplate, meditate, premeditate;

2

design

noun

Definition of design

1 a : a particular purpose or intention held in view by an individual or group
  • He has ambitious designs for his son.
b : deliberate purposive planning
  • more by accident than design
2 : a mental project or scheme in which means to an end are laid down
  • was never part of my design
3 a : a deliberate undercover project or scheme : plot
  • a declaration of a design upon his life
  • —John Locke
b designs plural : aggressive or evil intent —used with on or against
  • he has designs on the money
4 : a preliminary sketch or outline showing the main features of something to be executed
  • the design for the new stadium
5 a : an underlying scheme that governs functioning, developing, or unfolding : pattern, motif
  • the general design of the epic
b : a plan or protocol for carrying out or accomplishing something (such as a scientific experiment); also : the process of preparing this
6 : the arrangement of elements or details in a product or work of art
  • … his sense of structure, both in the general design of Paradise Lost and Samson, and in his syntax …
  • —T. S. Eliot
7 : a decorative pattern
  • a floral design
8 : the creative art of executing aesthetic or functional designs
  • studied design in college

See design defined for English-language learners

Examples of design in a Sentence

  1. There are problems with the design of the airplane's landing gear.

  2. I like the design of the textbook.

  3. I love the sculpture's design.

  4. The machine had a flawed design.

  5. the design and development of new products

  6. Correcting mistakes is part of the design process.

  7. a number of design concepts

Recent Examples of design from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'design.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of design

see 1design

design Synonyms

Synonyms

arrangement, blueprint, game, game plan, ground plan, master plan, plan, program, project, scheme, strategy, system;

Related Words

collusion, conspiracy, plot;

contrivance, device, gambit, maneuver, ruse, stratagem, subterfuge, trick;

counterplan, counterstrategy;

means, tactic, technique, way;

procedure, protocol;

conception, idea, projet, proposal, specific(s), specification(s);

aim, intent, intention, purpose;

diagram, formula, layout, map, pattern, platform, policy, recipe, setup;

Synonym Discussion of design

intention, intent, purpose, design, aim, end, object, objective, goal mean what one intends to accomplish or attain. intention implies little more than what one has in mind to do or bring about.
    • announced his intention to marry
intent suggests clearer formulation or greater deliberateness.
    • the clear intent of the statute
purpose suggests a more settled determination.
    • being successful was her purpose in life
design implies a more carefully calculated plan.
    • the order of events came by accident, not design
aim adds to these implications of effort directed toward attaining or accomplishing.
    • her aim was to raise film to an art form
end stresses the intended effect of action often in distinction or contrast to the action or means as such.
    • willing to use any means to achieve his end
object may equal end but more often applies to a more individually determined wish or need.
    • his constant object was the achievement of pleasure
objective implies something tangible and immediately attainable.
    • their objective is to seize the oil fields
goal suggests something attained only by prolonged effort and hardship.
    • worked years to reach her goals
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

Phrases Related to DESIGN

Related Phrases

DESIGN Defined for English Language Learners

design

verb

Definition of design for English Language Learners

  • : to plan and make decisions about (something that is being built or created) : to create the plans, drawings, etc., that show how (something) will be made

  • : to plan and make (something) for a specific use or purpose

  • : to think of (something, such as a plan) : to plan (something) in your mind

design

noun

Definition of design for English Language Learners

  • : the way something has been made : the way the parts of something (such as a building, machine, book, etc.) are formed and arranged for a particular use, effect, etc.

  • : the process of planning how something will look, happen, be made, etc. : the process of designing something

  • : a drawing of something that is being planned or created

DESIGN Defined for Kids

1

design

verb de·sign \ di-ˈzīn \

Definition of design for Students

designed; designing
1 : to think up and plan out in the mind
  • Our engineers have designed a new engine.
2 : to set apart for or have as a special purpose : intend
  • The Web site is designed for fun.
3 : to make a pattern or sketch of
  • She designs clothes.
2

design

noun

Definition of design for Students

1 : an arrangement of parts in a structure or a work of art
  • The design of the house suits a large family.
2 : the art or process of planning and creating something
  • His job is Web page design.
3 : a sketch, model, or plan of something made or to be made
  • Architects studied the design for the building.
4 : a decorative pattern
5 : 1plan 1, scheme
6 : a planned intention
  • As if by design, they both stopped at the same spot …
  • —Jerry Spinelli, Maniac Magee
7 : a secret purpose : plot
  • I know you have designs on my money.

Medical Dictionary

design

noun de·sign \ di-ˈzīn \

medical Definition of design

: a plan or protocol for carrying out or accomplishing something (especially a scientific experiment); also : the process of preparing this
—

design

transitive verb

Learn More about design

  1. See words that rhyme with design Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for design Spanish Central: Translation of design Nglish: Translation of design for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of design for Arabic speakers

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