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

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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

Construction of the project in South Los Angeles has been repeatedly delayed. — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, "A project could bring South L.A. hundreds of new homes. But critics fear rising rents," 17 Sep. 2019 Part of the project is to build a community room for members of the community to meet. — Linda Gandee/special To Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "The first wall comes tumbling down at old Rocky River police station," 17 Sep. 2019 The paving portion of the project is currently more than two-thirds complete, according to ODOT. — oregonlive, "Portland metro Monday traffic: Second westbound lane opens on damaged Going Street Bridge," 16 Sep. 2019 Gray, Bill Sjolander, Greg and Jerry Angel, and Guy Matthews are the owners of the project. — David Taylor, Houston Chronicle, "Groundbreaking at 14,000 lot River Ranch signals start of master-planned community," 16 Sep. 2019 Whereas smoothly integrating the Welsh players into their new Japanese surroundings was always the primary objective of the project, increasing the popularity of rugby in Japan was also a key WRU goal. — Ben Morse, CNN, "Rugby World Cup: How Wales created a home-away-from-home in Japan," 16 Sep. 2019 That portion of the project will eventually have 1,674 homes. — J.k. Dineen, SFChronicle.com, "New vision for two megaprojects: One development of almost 4,000 homes across SF and San Mateo counties," 16 Sep. 2019 The council upheld the commission’s approval of the project. — Laura Groch, San Diego Union-Tribune, "How they voted, Sept. 15," 15 Sep. 2019 Melding the indoors and the outdoors was a priority of the project. — BostonGlobe.com, "The question is key to how the Peabody Essex Museum leadership approached the new space — always with an eye toward not just what they wanted to showcase but how visitors can best engage with the exhibits.," 14 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In 2019, through July, the UHPD is on track to send 190 prisoners for processing at the Solon jail, with those prisoners projected to spend 853 days in jail. — cleveland.com, "University Heights council agrees to buy a house, wait to buy new city entrance signs," 17 Sep. 2019 The legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal office issued new projections last week that showed consumers would pay $44 million more than originally projected over the next two years based on DRS’ interpretation of the tax. — Russell Blair, courant.com, "Gov. Ned Lamont asks for review of new tax on ice cream, pizza and other items sold at grocery stores," 17 Sep. 2019 That trend is likely to continue under current law, with the analysis projecting that federal spending on children will shrink to 7.5% of the budget by 2029. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, "Why the U.S. may soon spend more on its debt than on kids," 17 Sep. 2019 Gray challenged residents to participate by projecting the growth between three separate entities: the city of Dayton including their extraterritorial jurisdtion (ETJ), the school district population, and the population of the county by 2030. — David Taylor, Houston Chronicle, "Groundbreaking at 14,000 lot River Ranch signals start of master-planned community," 16 Sep. 2019 Messages like this are typical of modern central banking, because communicating a plan and projecting competence is one of the most powerful tools for central bankers. — Allison Schrager, Quartz, "The ECB, and central banking, is at a crossroads," 11 Sep. 2019 The six share an emotional moment reflecting on past Brady Bunch projects with all nine cast members. — Selena Barrientos, House Beautiful, "A Very Brady Renovation," 10 Sep. 2019 Although Hispanic fertility rates have fallen and Latin American immigration has mostly tapered off, the Census Bureau projects that the country as a whole will become majority-minority by 2045. — Noah Smith, Twin Cities, "Noah Smith: Ronald Reagan, the diversity president," 8 Sep. 2019 Android Auto and Apple Carplay, which let drivers project their phone’s interface onto the center screen, are each available in more than 400 car models globally; many offer both systems. — Wired, "GM's Search for In-Car Tech Lands on Google," 7 Sep. 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

18 Oct 2019

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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