project

noun

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

Other Words from project Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about project

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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

Warren would require federal agencies to purchase their domestic power from clean energy sources and ramp up federal subsidies for clean energy projects. — Christina Prignano, BostonGlobe.com, "Elizabeth Warren releases climate change plan to move US to 100 percent clean energy in 10 years," 3 Sep. 2019 Yet that lease with the Jay Paul project was only the start of what has evolved into a widening footprint for Google in Sunnyvale. — George Avalos, The Mercury News, "Google widens Sunnyvale holdings with big property purchase," 3 Sep. 2019 Over the course of four years, the pilot program sponsored 64 projects, conserving an estimated 46,000 acre-feet of water. — Lucas Isakowitz, Time, "How to Save the Colorado River from Climate Change and Chronic Overuse," 3 Sep. 2019 Modric now remains in the Spanish capital, playing his role in Zinedine Zidane's rebuilding project in what is the Frenchman's second tenure at the club. — SI.com, "Zvonimir Boban Confirms Milan Interest in Luka Modric & Reveals Why They Couldn't Sign Him," 3 Sep. 2019 Lake Turkana Wind Power project occupies a vast concession of over 607km2. — Zoe Cormack, Quartz Africa, "Kenya’s huge wind power project might be great for the environment but not for local communities," 3 Sep. 2019 The demand that Schmidt be disinvited from Stanford originated with Jack Poulson, who resigned as a Google researcher last year in protest of the China search project. — Wired, "Planned Eric Schmidt Talk at AI Conference Draws Protest," 3 Sep. 2019 But del Toro left the project before production officially began to focus on his feature-film commitments. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Review: Carnival Row brings a richly textured fantasy world to vibrant life," 3 Sep. 2019 ProPublica has opened a new round of applications for its Local Reporting Network, with a focus on accountability projects involving state government or state politics. — ProPublica, "ProPublica Wants Pitches for State Government Investigations. Apply for a Spot in Our Local Reporting Network.," 3 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

New York, still the nation’s financial center, and Texas, California’s chief cultural and economic rival, have been much more successful in projecting themselves nationally. — Dan Walters, The Mercury News, "Walters: Can Kamala Harris break California’s presidential jinx?," 1 Sep. 2019 Disney World and the other resorts in Orlando found themselves in the storm’s projected path. — Washington Post, "Dorian becomes a Category 4 monster powering toward Florida," 31 Aug. 2019 So, not only are full sticker-shock price workarounds proliferating, havens of higher learning are sinking more of their incoming dollars in ways that project themselves as sports palaces rather than academic institutions. — Eric Scott, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Spending sprees stray from colleges’ true missions," 31 Aug. 2019 And there was still the question of whether quarterback Anthony Brown would make the leap into the leader the Eagles projected him to be in as a redshirt junior. — Julian Benbow, BostonGlobe.com, "BC gets started with impressive win over Virginia Tech," 31 Aug. 2019 But stay informed about the storm’s progression, projected path and strength. — Michael Mayo, sun-sentinel.com, "Hurricane Dorian food prep: Eating in and eating out before, during and after the storm," 29 Aug. 2019 Cruise lines were making adjustments based on Dorian’s projected path. — David Harris, orlandosentinel.com, "Powerful Hurricane Dorian prompts Florida state of emergency as storm roars through U.S. Virgin Islands," 28 Aug. 2019 As part of National Science Week, more than 200 people submitted their own constellation and story in response to a star field projected onto the ceiling of Victoria’s Parliament House; the preliminary data-collection phase in this study. — Simon Cropper, Quartz, "Why do different cultures see such similar meanings in the stars?," 21 Aug. 2019 The problem is that voters then project that view onto many other Democrats. — Fox News, "Reporter's Notebook: Spat over scrapped 'Squad' members' Israel visit is tricky politics for both sides," 17 Aug. 2019

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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Dictionary Entries near project

Statistics for project

Last Updated

6 Sep 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for project

The first known use of project was in the 15th century

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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