project

noun

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proj·ect | \ ˈprä-ˌjekt

, -jikt also ˈprō- \

Definition of project

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a specific plan or design : scheme

2 obsolete : idea

3 : a planned undertaking: such as

a : a definitely formulated piece of research

b : a large usually government-supported undertaking

c : a task or problem engaged in usually by a group of students to supplement and apply classroom studies

4 : a usually public housing development consisting of houses or apartments built and arranged according to a single plan

project

verb

pro·ject | \ prə-ˈjekt

projected; projecting; projects

Definition of project (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to devise in the mind : design

b : to plan, figure, or estimate for the future

2 : to throw or cast forward : thrust

3 : to put or set forth : present for consideration

4 : to cause to jut out

5 : to cause (light or shadow) to fall into space or (an image) to fall on a surface

6 : to reproduce (something, such as a point, line, or area) on a surface by motion in a prescribed direction

7 : to display outwardly especially to an audience

8 : to attribute (one's own ideas, feelings, or characteristics) to other people or to objects a nation is an entity on which one can project many of the worst of one's instincts — The Times Literary Supplement (London)

intransitive verb

1 : to jut out : protrude

2a : to come across vividly : give an impression

b : to make oneself heard clearly

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Choose the Right Synonym for project

Noun

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

Examples of project in a Sentence

Noun an ambitious project to develop the city's waterfront Verb He projected next year's costs as being slightly higher than this year's. It's difficult to project funding needs so far into the future. an athlete who projects a positive image to young people We need an actor who projects a tough-guy image.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Part of the project will be paid for using a $750,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity. — Michelle Mullins, chicagotribune.com, "Homer Glen budget funds new public works department, Heritage Park road," 29 Apr. 2021 The city and state will have to sign off on several aspects of the project before moving forward. — Eric Heisig, cleveland, "Jackson administration mum on details of plan to put asphalt and concrete plants on Opportunity Corridor," 29 Apr. 2021 And evaluations of the project will be done in 30-day review periods until June. — Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, "Ford's new racial equity director, Angela Henderson, tackles 'elephant in the room'," 29 Apr. 2021 The immediate impact of the project on its community was experienced as Saravia was talking. — Chadd Scott, Forbes, "Mural Park Represents Lasting Legacy Of Inaugural “enLIGHTen” Arts Festival In Atlantic Beach, FL," 28 Apr. 2021 Phases six and seven of the project are expected to begin in 2023 and 2024 respectively, extending another mile and a half from Woodburn Avenue to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Avondale. — Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, "Construction on next leg of Wasson Way trail begins Wednesday," 28 Apr. 2021 The estate, however, is fully aware of the project and is already involved with the JED Foundation, as Frohman points out. — Samantha Hissong, Rolling Stone, "Kurt Cobain’s ‘The Last Session’ Photoshoot Will Be Sold as an NFT," 28 Apr. 2021 Seeing the black-and-white image of the chopper's shadow on the surface of the red planet, taken during the first Mars flight, was that magical moment for MiMi Aung, the Ingenuity Mars helicopter project manager. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Mars first flight unlocked and 5 other top space and science stories this week," 24 Apr. 2021 The Drug Overdose Prevention and Education Project, an initiative funded by the city, gave out more than 50,000 doses of naloxone last year, said Kristen Marshall, the project manager. — New York Times, "San Francisco Contends With a Different Sort of Epidemic: Drug Deaths," 23 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Female employees from the island said Mr. Wetzel and other managers ordered them to lose weight and get manicures and eyelash extensions at their own expense, in order to polish the image the restaurant wanted to project. — New York Times, "The Island Is Idyllic. As a Workplace, It’s Toxic.," 27 Apr. 2021 The second and third day of the draft always is difficult to project. — Calvin Watkins, Dallas News, "SportsDay’s NFL draft guide: Cowboys storylines and targets, area prospects, and more," 1 Apr. 2021 In other years, things are much more difficult to project. — oregonlive, "Kelvin Banks Jr., 5-star offensive tackle, sets Oregon Ducks official visit," 30 Mar. 2021 But that was not the image the state wanted to project. — Washington Post, "The search for the disappeared points to Mexico’s darkest secrets," 3 Dec. 2020 But headlines involving police, forbidden parties and a deadly disease aren’t the image the company wanted to project. — Olivia Carville, Bloomberg.com, "Airbnb Combats Surge in Party Houses After Covid Shuts Nightclubs," 14 Oct. 2020 Obama wanted to project success in quelling the threat of terrorism, even as al-Qaeda thrived and its breakaway faction, ISIS, went on a rampage that gained it control of a swath of Iraqi-Syrian territory larger than Britain. — Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, "Chris Wray Is Right: Antifa Is an Ideological Threat to the United States," 3 Oct. 2020 Compared to normal years, many things are harder to project. — Stephanie Stradley, Houston Chronicle, "Stephanie Stradley’s Texans-Chiefs Q&A with Pete Sweeney," 8 Sep. 2020 Many Missions season ticket holders have shown interest in the TCL games, Yarbrough said, but turnout is difficult to project. — Greg Luca, ExpressNews.com, "With Triple-A season in doubt, San Antonio Missions turn to Texas Collegiate League," 16 June 2020

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

History and Etymology for project

Noun

Middle English projecte, from Medieval Latin projectum, from Latin, neuter of projectus, past participle of proicere to throw forward, from pro- + jacere to throw — more at jet

Verb

Anglo-French projecter, from Latin projectus, past participle

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Last Updated

1 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Project.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/project. Accessed 9 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for project

project

noun

English Language Learners Definition of project

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a planned piece of work that has a specific purpose (such as to find information or to make something new) and that usually requires a lot of time

: a task or problem in school that requires careful work over a long period of time

project

verb

English Language Learners Definition of project (Entry 2 of 2)

: to plan, calculate, or estimate (something) for a time in the future

: to cause (light, a picture, a movie, etc.) to appear on a surface

: to have or show (a particular quality, image, etc., that can be seen by other people)

See the full definition for project in the English Language Learners Dictionary

project

noun

proj·ect | \ ˈprä-ˌjekt

, -jikt \

Kids Definition of project

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a plan or scheme to do something home improvement projects

2 : a task or problem in school that requires work over a period of time and is often displayed or presented a science project

3 : a group of houses or apartment buildings built according to a single plan

project

verb

pro·ject | \ prə-ˈjekt

projected; projecting

Kids Definition of project (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to stick out The rock projected above the ground.

2 : to cause to fall on a surface The machine projects motion pictures on a screen.

3 : to send or throw forward

project

transitive verb

pro·ject | \ prə-ˈjekt

Medical Definition of project

: to attribute or assign (something in one's own mind or a personal characteristic) to a person, group, or object the patient projected hostility onto the therapist

intransitive verb

: to connect by sending nerve fibers or processes cells of the lateral geniculate body project to the back part of the cerebral cortex

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