plan 1 of 2

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
Republican leaders say these criticisms are wrong and that the GOP plan will boost the economy and cut spending. Brittney Melton, NPR, 5 June 2025 The announcement of Glastonbury’s final lineup also coincides with the BBC’s plans to air artists’ sets, with the broadcaster telling British publication The i Paper that Kneecap’s performance will be included as part of their coverage. Tyler Jenke, Billboard, 5 June 2025
Verb
Matson's father and stepmother aren't planning on attending the ceremony. David Oliver, USA Today, 6 June 2025 One group — which registered itself as the Maryland Environment, Labor and Industry Coalition — planned to challenge the Next Generation Energy Act, and focus its campaign on trash incinerators, which will no longer receive a renewable energy subsidy under the law. Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for plan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plan
Noun
  • These changes were more than just rebrands: each new name came along with a fundamentally different business strategy.
    Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
  • But, at this point, Edelman believes that advisers who value diversification as a strategy in their clients’ portfolio — eg, across asset classes, sectors, etc. — would be remiss not to recommend adding at least a small amount of digital asset exposure.
    Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • But Bennett’s goal would not keep the Panthers ahead for long.
    Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 7 June 2025
  • The goal being to have 30 teams all in a position, if well-managed, to be competing for championships.
    Sam Amick, New York Times, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • The best way to protect against unhealthy messages about masculinity is for parents to be prepared with a counter narrative for their family.
    Ashleigh N. DeLuca, Parents, 29 May 2025
  • So each block has a director, and one block prepares and starts to shoot, then halfway [through] the other is prepping, and then starts to shoot.
    Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • The move was intended to boost subscriptions to then-fledgling HBO Max.
    Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2025
  • Going forward, the owners intend to integrate Vinyl Me, Please with its VinylBox and VNYL brands as a sister operation specializing in premium audio.
    Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • Unlike the standard black or navy suits that carry you through most of the year, summer tailoring doesn’t follow a strict blueprint.
    Brett F. Braley-Palko, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • The film is dedicated to Anderson’s late father-in-law, Fouad Malouf, a businessman and engineer who stashed his own plans in the very shoeboxes that now store Zsa-zsa’s blueprints.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025
Noun
  • This was still wild country, and Fuller set off with the express purpose of producing a book about her journey.
    James Marcus, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
  • These rituals included a physical action, an emotional expression and a shared sense of purpose.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
Verb
  • Smith also said bat manufacturers are now designing bats in ways that mitigate the effects of rolling.
    Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • Certified through the Living Building Challenge, these are structures designed to not only reduce environmental impact but contribute positively to their surroundings.
    Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2025
Verb
  • Instead of a revolution, this new approach contemplated a middle way between capitalism and socialism, one premised on a cooperative relationship between workers and management.
    Time, Time, 29 May 2025
  • Though the film doesn’t provide a satisfactory resolution to these threads, the time the audience spends contemplating them is mostly enjoyable.
    Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 28 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Plan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plan. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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