planning

noun plan·ning \ ˈpla-niŋ \

Updated on: 6 Apr 2018

Definition of planning

: the act or process of making or carrying out plans; specifically : the establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit

city planning

business planning

See planning defined for English-language learners

Examples of planning in a Sentence

Careful planning made the party a success.

Recent Examples of planning from the Web

James noted the challenge of planning for retirement when people are living longer.

— eric d. lawrence, Detroit Free Press, "Thousands of older workers each year say age discrimination is real," 2 Apr. 2018
The person may have more sales skills than knowledge about finance or the canons of financial planning.

— teresa dixon murray, cleveland.com, "How to determine if you need a retirement planner, find one: Living On," 1 Apr. 2018
In 2016, Trump named New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie the leader of transition planning.

— author: robert o'harrow jr., shawn boburg, Anchorage Daily News, "Behind the chaos: Office that vets Trump appointees plagued by inexperience," 30 Mar. 2018
My life is pretty busy, so making sure that my kitchen is fully stocked with nutritionally sound food took a good amount of planning.

— brandon t. harden, Philly.com, "Thoughts from a new runner training for Broad Street: Training my mind, as well as my body," 29 Mar. 2018
During the presidential campaign, Trump accused his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, of planning to eliminate the Second Amendment, using that fear as a rallying cry among conservative supporters.

— Fox News, "Where does Trump stand on gun control? A look at the president's views," 28 Mar. 2018
The latest targeting of China, by contrast, is the culmination of months of planning and commands broader support.

— The Economist, "America’s trade strategy has many risks and few upsides," 28 Mar. 2018
Phoenix Police Department An attorney for a man accused of planning to attack officers and the actor who played a Power Ranger at Phoenix Comicon is asking for more time to evaluate his client's mental capacity before moving forward.

— robert gundran, azcentral, "Lawyer: More time needed to test mental fitness of Phoenix Comicon suspect," 27 Mar. 2018
The committee is composed of the state superintendent of schools, secretary of general services and secretary of planning, and appointees of the Senate president and Speaker of the House.

— scott dance, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland lawmakers move to 'take politics out of school construction,' provoking veto threat from Gov. Hogan," 27 Mar. 2018

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