mas·ter·mind
ˈma-stər-ˌmīnd 
ˌmas-tər-ˈ
: a person who supplies the directing or creative intelligence for a project
masterminded; masterminding; masterminds
: to be the mastermind of
Synonyms
Examples of mastermind in a Sentence
Noun
the mastermind behind the terrorist plot
the real mastermind behind the embezzlement scheme
Verb
They masterminded a unique solution to the problem.
He masterminded the bank robbery.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Business card exchanges and pocketbook weighing can become overbearing at large conferences and masterminds.
—Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
For the past eight years, the Istituto Europeo di Design graduate has paved the way as the sole mastermind behind some of the looks seen on Hollywood’s best dressed stars, including Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lady Gaga, Naomi Campbell and more.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
In Spain, the idea of a local home group being the mastermind of the Madrid attack persisted, even after the National Court handed down sentences ranging from three to 43,000 years in 2007 over the train bombings.
—Arturo Conde, NBC News, 11 Mar. 2024
Federal prosecutors on Monday painted one-time British tech star Mike Lynch as the ruthless mastermind of an $11 billion deal that defrauded Silicon Valley pioneer Hewlett Packard.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024
The pianist and musical mastermind behind timeless hits from stars like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey, recently helped Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti create his new offering.
—Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024
Fashion x Film: Careers in Costume Design The talented fashion masterminds behind some of today’s biggest films and TV shows take us inside the creative process that drives the art of costume design.
—Essence, 9 Mar. 2024
That for-profit company took OpenAI from worthless to a valuation of $90 billion in just a few years — and Altman is largely credited as the mastermind of that plan and the key to the company’s success.
—David Goldman, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024
Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024
Amid his battle with dementia, Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson, 81, will be placed into a conservatorship.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 16 Feb. 2024
In the final round, prior to the Arab Spring of 2011, the Houthis were bombed by Saudi Arabia, and accused the U.S. of masterminding the conflict.
—Nicolas Niarchos, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2024
Nicolas Shaughnessy and Jaclyn Edison Travis County DA's Office
Over the next three months, police would come to believe Nicolas and Edison had masterminded the attack and on May 29, 2018, authorities arrested them for criminal solicitation in the murder of Ted Shaughnessy.
—Josh Yager, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2024
The Fox host Jesse Watters even flirted with the speculation, floating the idea that Swift’s success was a psyop masterminded by the Defense Department.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2024
Zaheer was a serious under-the-radar threat, ingratiating himself with everyone while secretly masterminding several big votes post-merge.
—Ben Rosenstock, TIME, 26 Feb. 2024
The seat-rattling nuclear weapon detonation masterminded by J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) evokes peak dread, but even seemingly mundane sequences demanded deep dives from King and his team.
—Hugh Hart, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024
His Colts, featuring an elite offense and an opportunistic defense masterminded by coach Tony Dungy, won their first 13 games.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2024
Noun
Larry Culp has burnished his reputation as an industrial mastermind with his restructuring of General Electric GE -2.5%.
—Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Business card exchanges and pocketbook weighing can become overbearing at large conferences and masterminds.
—Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
For the past eight years, the Istituto Europeo di Design graduate has paved the way as the sole mastermind behind some of the looks seen on Hollywood’s best dressed stars, including Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lady Gaga, Naomi Campbell and more.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
In Spain, the idea of a local home group being the mastermind of the Madrid attack persisted, even after the National Court handed down sentences ranging from three to 43,000 years in 2007 over the train bombings.
—Arturo Conde, NBC News, 11 Mar. 2024
Federal prosecutors on Monday painted one-time British tech star Mike Lynch as the ruthless mastermind of an $11 billion deal that defrauded Silicon Valley pioneer Hewlett Packard.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024
The pianist and musical mastermind behind timeless hits from stars like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey, recently helped Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti create his new offering.
—Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024
Fashion x Film: Careers in Costume Design The talented fashion masterminds behind some of today’s biggest films and TV shows take us inside the creative process that drives the art of costume design.
—Essence, 9 Mar. 2024
That for-profit company took OpenAI from worthless to a valuation of $90 billion in just a few years — and Altman is largely credited as the mastermind of that plan and the key to the company’s success.
—David Goldman, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
Head coach John Cristiano masterminded a quick-hitting motion offense that prioritized ball-movement and passing.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024
Amid his battle with dementia, Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson, 81, will be placed into a conservatorship.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 16 Feb. 2024
In the final round, prior to the Arab Spring of 2011, the Houthis were bombed by Saudi Arabia, and accused the U.S. of masterminding the conflict.
—Nicolas Niarchos, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2024
Nicolas Shaughnessy and Jaclyn Edison Travis County DA's Office
Over the next three months, police would come to believe Nicolas and Edison had masterminded the attack and on May 29, 2018, authorities arrested them for criminal solicitation in the murder of Ted Shaughnessy.
—Josh Yager, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2024
The Fox host Jesse Watters even flirted with the speculation, floating the idea that Swift’s success was a psyop masterminded by the Defense Department.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2024
Zaheer was a serious under-the-radar threat, ingratiating himself with everyone while secretly masterminding several big votes post-merge.
—Ben Rosenstock, TIME, 26 Feb. 2024
The seat-rattling nuclear weapon detonation masterminded by J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) evokes peak dread, but even seemingly mundane sequences demanded deep dives from King and his team.
—Hugh Hart, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024
His Colts, featuring an elite offense and an opportunistic defense masterminded by coach Tony Dungy, won their first 13 games.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mastermind.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near mastermind
Cite this Entry
“Mastermind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mastermind. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
mastermind
noun
mas·ter·mind
ˈmas-tər-ˌmīnd,
ˌmas-tər-ˈmīnd
: a person who invents or directs a project
mastermind
verb
More from Merriam-Webster on mastermind
Nglish: Translation of mastermind for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of mastermind for Arabic Speakers
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