Synonyms of project

project 1 of 2

noun

ˈprä-ˌjekt 

as in plan

a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective

an ambitious project to develop the city's waterfront

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plan
• blueprint
• strategy
• program
• design
• scheme
• system
• proposal
• arrangement
• master plan
• game plan
• game
• idea
• road map
• ground plan
• way
• recipe
• procedure
• intention
• technique
• plot
• purpose
• intent
• device
• conspiracy
• gambit
• aim
• maneuver
• policy
• ruse
• collusion
• stratagem
• conception
• map
• means
• tactic
• subterfuge
• protocol
• projet
• trick
• platform
• setup
• layout
• contrivance
• diagram
• pattern
• formula
• counterplan
• counterstrategy
• specific(s)
• specification(s)

project

2 of 2

verb

prə-ˈjekt 

1

as in to protrude

to extend outward beyond a usual point

some boulders projected dangerously out above the trail

Synonyms & Similar Words

• protrude
• poke
• stand out
• bulge
• stick out
• swell
• bunch
• start
• pouch
• balloon
• overhang
• beetle
• jut
• dome
• pout
• bag
• pooch
• billow
• extend
• belly
• stretch
• lengthen
• expand
• mushroom
• snowball
• blow up
• inflate
• dilate
• elongate
• distend

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• contract
• shrink
• compress
• condense
• constrict

2

as in to plan

to work out the details of (something) in advance

we must project next year's budget now

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plan
• design
• prepare
• organize
• budget
• plot
• arrange
• chart
• calculate
• blueprint
• outline
• devise
• shape
• scheme (out)
• map (out)
• draft
• choreograph
• frame
• lay out
• strategize (about)
• sketch
• concert
• intend
• figure
• contemplate
• get up
• aim
• conspire
• contrive
• have on
• intrigue
• mean
• machinate
• put up
• meditate
• premeditate

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun project contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of project are design, plan, plot, and scheme. While all these words mean "a method devised for making or doing something or achieving an end," project often stresses imaginative scope and vision.

a project to develop the waterfront

When would design be a good substitute for project?

Although the words design and project have much in common, design often suggests a particular pattern and some degree of achieved order or harmony.

a design for a new dress

In what contexts can plan take the place of project?

The synonyms plan and project are sometimes interchangeable, but plan always implies mental formulation and sometimes graphic representation.

plans for a house

When is plot a more appropriate choice than project?

The words plot and project are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, plot implies a laying out in clearly distinguished sections with attention to their relations and proportions.

the plot of the play

When might scheme be a better fit than project?

In some situations, the words scheme and project are roughly equivalent. However, 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

Recent Examples of project

Noun

The ship in general The cruise line embarked on an usual project just before the pandemic. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2026

Shot over 25 years from 1999 onwards, this cinematic work evolved from an earlier project that resulted in exhibitions and books, which also recorded, in large-format photos, Guile and Beli’s child-to-adult evolution. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2026

Verb

Berwick recalls an employee sending her a video of someone projecting a Knicks finals game on the side of a New York City building and then, after the final whistle, immediately pivoting to a Summer House reunion episode. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

Over the next 10 years, operators project a total baseline demand of 360 million pounds of uranium. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026