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plan

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun plan contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of plan are design, plot, project, and scheme. While all these words 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

When is design a more appropriate choice than plan?

While in some cases nearly identical to plan, design often suggests a particular pattern and some degree of achieved order or harmony.

a design for a new dress

When could plot be used to replace plan?

While the synonyms plot and plan are close in meaning, plot implies a laying out in clearly distinguished sections with attention to their relations and proportions.

the plot of the play

When is it sensible to use project instead of plan?

In some situations, the words project and plan are roughly equivalent. However, project often stresses imaginative scope and vision.

a project to develop the waterfront

Where would scheme be a reasonable alternative to plan?

The synonyms scheme and plan are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of plan
Noun
Passengers' summer travel plans have been thrown into uncertainty as Air Canada's unionized flight attendants have gone on strike following a dispute over pay, a move that signals disruption for more than 10,000 passengers. Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Aug. 2025 Residents vehemently rejected a 2019 plan to demolish two buildings with new infill construction, raising questions about how a majority chose a complete tear-down just years later. Stacy Torres, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2025
Verb
The inaugural festival originally was planned for Oct. 25 at the La Jolla Recreation Center, but with Bird Rock’s BirdStock Music Festival set for that day, the Town Council event’s date is undetermined. Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025 Ryan Wardwell of Long Beach was planning to rappel the Seven Teacups waterfalls Sunday evening but became trapped after the water's strong hydraulics forced him off his climbing lines, the Tulare County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday. Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for plan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plan
Noun
  • Grab the Racing Dudes Premium Picks and the Travers Betting Bible for detailed race-by-race analysis, exact wagering strategies, and multi-race plays designed to maximize your profits.
    Jared Welch, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Ultimately, that strategy may preserve Ukraine and settle the borders of Europe’s map.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • As a whole, aviation has a goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, although that gets less likely by the year as sustainable aviation fuel development and scaling stalls.
    Zach Wichter, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
  • Nicolas Rodriguez, another second-half substitute, scored his first goal in purple in the 83rd minute.
    Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Build Career Advisors and Internal Learning Paths Create roles or programs that help employees explore new functions, assess transferable skills and prepare for moves.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • While many of the cuts go into effect in 2028, the company is preparing for the loss of funds now.
    Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Japan Coast Guard In areas known to contain seabed resources, these activities could be intended to prospect marine economic data that supports follow-on extractive operations, the analyst said.
    Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
  • That said, when asked about their five-year plans, more family offices intended to increase rather than decrease their allocations to private equity and other private assets.
    Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • While framed as a technological roadmap, the manifesto doubles as an unintentional and necessary blueprint for how modern organizations must evolve.
    Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
  • The Heritage Foundation was the primary architect behind Project 2025, a comprehensive conservative blueprint for Republican presidential administrations.
    Adeola Adeosun Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • It was once used as an anticonvulsant and sedative, but today is primarily used for cleaning, manufacturing and agricultural purposes, according to the National Institutes of Health.
    Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2025
  • This information is for educational purposes and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon for, accounting, legal, tax, insurance, or investment advice.
    Heather L. Locus, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Legacy bot controls like robots.txt were designed for a different era.
    Jason Goldberg, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025
  • Echoing the spring’s bright white runway, Gray wore designs from the penultimate Givenchy collection designed by former creative director Matthew M. Williams, who exited the brand on Jan. 1.
    Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The bottom line is downright depressing: short of a direct U.S. military intervention that no serious analyst would contemplate, Trump’s toolkit to will a Ukraine peace deal into existence is bare.
    Daniel DePetris, Time, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Hodges has been contemplating his future, talking with God to figure things out.
    La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Plan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plan. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

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