Definition of the word plan

Noun



the army’s plan of attack



We need to agree on a plan of action.



Our plan was to have the guests park on the street, not the lawn.



When we met them at the restaurant, they said there had been a change of plan.



He changed his long-distance plan.

Verb



We are busy planning the party.



The prisoners spent months planning their escape.



a teacher planning her next lesson



The students are planning a protest.



We have something very special planned for your birthday.



Their wedding is planned for June.



a planned series of books about cars



Things don’t always go as planned.



Always remember to plan ahead.

See More

Recent Examples on the Web



Help each other plan every detail of your birthday celebrations.


Leah Campano, Seventeen, 8 Apr. 2023





Jimmy Patronis, the state’s chief financial officer, issued a statement that same day in support of DeSantis’s plan spouting similar gibberish.


Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 7 Apr. 2023





The service is now only available through a variety of subscription plans.


Emmanuelle Saliba, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2023





The plan member will receive a renewal packet in the mail.


Amelia Templeton, oregonlive, 7 Apr. 2023





The report thus could bolster the Fed’s tentative plan to raise its key interest rate just once more by a quarter percentage point and then halt its aggressive hiking campaign aimed at taming consumer price increases.


Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2023





In fact, the elder Gravante told defensive coordinator Kevin Giblin to remove the younger Gravante from the team’s recruiting plans.


Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 7 Apr. 2023





Before the expulsion votes, House members debated more than 20 bills, including a school safety proposal requiring public and private schools to submit building safety plans to the state.


Kimberlee Kruesi And Jonathan Mattise, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Apr. 2023





Custom treatment plans and one-of-a-kind personalized health retreats are available and designed to maximize impact for your physical, mental, and spiritual health.


Sean Santiago, ELLE Decor, 7 Apr. 2023




Perry, who was led away in handcuffs after the verdict was read on Friday, planned to appeal, the lawyer said.


Dennis Romero, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2023





No events are planned.


Jamie Mcintyre, Washington Examiner, 7 Apr. 2023





Although it couldn’t have been planned, Showing Up plays like a response to that particular declaration — an affirmation of art as coexisting with all the prosaic stuff of everyday life.


Vulture, 7 Apr. 2023





The House had planned to advance the budget to the Senate before the Easter weekend.


Sean Maguire, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Apr. 2023





Stadtler said the state plans to select the builders by this fall.


Luz Lazo, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2023





Steven Cheung, Eric Trump’s spokesperson, referred USA TODAY to a Bloomberg article that said New York City officials planned to close key streets in lower Manhattan for security.


Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2023





City plans intervention March 17, 2023 Earlier this year, Cordero said the trust could no longer support its residential buildings — many of which were operating in the red — and sought other fiscally stable organizations to take them over.


Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2023





National Weather Service crews planned to survey additional damage in Southern Indiana west of Corydon, Sharp said.


Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 6 Apr. 2023



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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘plan.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

  • Top Definitions
  • Synonyms
  • Quiz
  • Related Content
  • More About Plan
  • Examples
  • British
  • Idioms And Phrases

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.


noun

a scheme or method of acting, doing, proceeding, making, etc., developed in advance: battle plans.

a design or scheme of arrangement: an elaborate plan for seating guests.

a specific project or definite purpose: plans for the future.

Also called plan view . a drawing made to scale to represent the top view or a horizontal section of a structure or a machine, as a floor layout of a building.

a representation of a thing drawn on a plane, as a map or diagram: a plan of the dock area.

(in perspective drawing) one of several planes in front of a represented object, and perpendicular to the line between the object and the eye.

a formal program for specified benefits, needs, etc.: a pension plan.

verb (used with object), planned, plan·ning.

to arrange a method or scheme beforehand for (any work, enterprise, or proceeding): to plan a new recreation center.

to make plans for: to plan one’s vacation.

to draw or make a diagram or layout of, as a building.

verb (used without object), planned, plan·ning.

to make plans: to plan ahead; to plan for one’s retirement.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Which sentence is correct?

Origin of plan

First recorded in 1670–80; from French: “ground, plan, groundwork, scheme,” noun use of the adjective: “flat” (see plane1), a learned borrowing of Latin plānus “level” (cf. plain1)

synonym study for plan

1. Plan, project, design, scheme imply a formulated method of doing something. Plan refers to any method of thinking out acts and purposes beforehand: What are your plans for today? A project is a proposed or tentative plan, often elaborate or extensive: an irrigation project. Design suggests art, dexterity, or craft (sometimes evil and selfish) in the elaboration or execution of a plan, and often tends to emphasize the purpose in view: a misunderstanding brought about by design. A scheme is apt to be either a speculative, possibly impracticable, plan, or a selfish or dishonest one: a scheme to swindle someone.

historical usage of plan

The English noun plan comes from the French noun plan “a sketch, diagram, drawing, ground plan, plane surface,” from the adjective plan “flat, even, plane (in geometry).” French plan is a Latinized form of plain (with the same meanings), from the Latin adjective plānus “flat, level, horizontal, two-dimensional, plane (in geometry).” The French noun plan is also partly an alteration of the earlier French noun plant, a derivative of the verb planter “to plant, drive in, stick in, fix in place,” from Latin plantāre “to set in place, fix in place, plant, transplant.”
The meaning “an organized proposal or scheme of action” first appeared in 1635; the more etymological meaning “a drawing or diagram of an object made by projection on a horizontal plane” appeared in 1664.
The earliest citation for “a formal program for specified benefits” is first recorded in 1912, with specific reference to a savings plan.

OTHER WORDS FROM plan

planless, adjectiveplan·less·ness, nounmis·plan, verb, mis·planned, mis·plan·ning.outplan, verb (used with object), out·planned, out·plan·ning.

o·ver·plan, verb, o·ver·planned, o·ver·plan·ning.pre·plan, verb, pre·planned, pre·plan·ning.re·plan, verb (used with object), re·planned, re·plan·ning.un·der·plan, verb (used with object), un·der·planned, un·der·plan·ning.un·plan, verb (used with object), un·planned, un·plan·ning.well-planned, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH plan

plain, plan , plane

Words nearby plan

plain weave, plain-wrap, plaister, plait, plaiting, plan, planar, planarian, planar process, planate, planation

Other definitions for plan (2 of 2)


variant of plano-1 before a vowel: planate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT PLAN

What is a basic definition of plan?

A plan is a program or method prepared ahead of time, a project or definite purpose, or a design or drawing of something. Plan has several other senses as a noun and a verb.

When you come up with a plan, you are creating a method or scheme to do something, make something, or take another kind of action, like a plan for getting your homework done. If someone does something without thinking about what to do, how to do it, and when to do it, they don’t have a plan. A plan doesn’t have to be written down, though. It may only exist in your mind. A person who comes up with a plan is a planner.

  • Real-life examples: Your school very likely has a plan for everyone leaving the building if there is a fire. Criminals often come up with a plan  of how they will steal something and when so that they will know what to do and be able to leave quickly.
  • Used in a sentence: The prisoners needed hot air balloons for their elaborate escape plan. 

Plan is used in this same sense as a verb to mean to scheme something ahead of time.

  • Used in a sentence: We planned a surprise party for my dad. 

Plan can also mean a project or definite purpose that someone has thought about or has scheduled to happen. In this sense, it is often used in the plural as plans.

  • Used in a sentence: She couldn’t go hiking with us because she had already made plans to travel to California.

Plan is also used as a synonym for diagram and blueprint. A plan of a warehouse, for example, will likely include drawings of the building’s layout or an outline of where wiring and pipes are located within the walls. Usually, an architect or designer will draw up a plan of a building or prototype so that the builders will know what to do.

  • Used in a sentence: The fire chief got the building plan from the janitor, so he could find the circuit breaker.

Where does plan come from?

The first records of plan come from the 1670s. It ultimately comes from the Latin adjective plānus, meaning “level.”

Did you know … ?

How is plan used in real life?

Plan is a common word that most often means a scheme or to think up a scheme beforehand.

I had a plan to do things on my day off.

I managed a run. That’s it. That’s all I’ve done.

And frankly, that’s probably just what I needed.

— Amber Naslund (@AmberCadabra) January 18, 2021

I was planning on moving apartments soonish but a stray cat just started letting me feed her so I guess this is home.

— Kirsten King (@KirstenKing_) January 20, 2021

My parents never have time to do anything as a family except for when I have plans

— tired (@sandia_jv) January 19, 2021

Try using plan!

True or False?

A plan is a scheme made before something actually happens.

Words related to plan

arrangement, deal, idea, intention, method, policy, procedure, program, project, proposal, strategy, suggestion, system, treatment, agenda, blueprint, arrange, design, draft, form

How to use plan in a sentence

  • At UNC-Chapel Hill, those plans were quickly reversed when 130 students tested positive for the virus just a week into the new semester.

  • The plan envisioned Oracle as a minority shareholder, thus mollifying Beijing.

  • If these reported plans were to go forward, it would be difficult to see how these conditions could be met.

  • Dhere calls the live vaccine something of a backup plan for the Serum Institute.

  • When he told a voter earlier in the night that he had a health-care plan ready to go, Stephanopoulos noted it had been “three and a half years” without one passing.

  • The plan is to stretch it out as long as possible, then probably forget about it, and then suddenly remember it.

  • Did the airline file a flight plan that took account of the weather en route from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore?

  • The various members met for the first time when they traveled to Gambia at the beginning of December to carry out their plan.

  • Her new comments will only add to ongoing speculation that the Yorks plan, one day, to remarry.

  • The family behind Sotto Sotto says that they plan to rebuild, but an insider tells me it may be a while.

  • They shall plan how this may be done with due propriety, and shall advise us of their action.

  • Gordon gave a bitter laugh and went on, with the same strange, serious air of explaining his plan.

  • Joachim, as time showed, never forgave the Emperor for the failure of his cherished plan.

  • Ripperda’s attention was next directed to put his plan of escape, in train for execution.

  • Still another kind of war credit bank was created on the co-operative plan to assist the middle and lower classes.

British Dictionary definitions for plan


noun

a detailed scheme, method, etc, for attaining an objective

(sometimes plural) a proposed, usually tentative idea for doing something

a drawing to scale of a horizontal section through a building taken at a given level; a view from above an object or an area in orthographic projectionCompare ground plan (def. 1), elevation (def. 5)

an outline, sketch, etc

(in perspective drawing) any of several imaginary planes perpendicular to the line of vision and between the eye and object depicted

verb plans, planning or planned

to form a plan (for) or make plans (for)

(tr) to make a plan of (a building)

(tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to have in mind as a purpose; intend

Word Origin for plan

C18: via French from Latin plānus flat; compare plane 1, plain 1

Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with plan


In addition to the idiom beginning with plan

  • plan on

also see:

  • best-laid plans

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Meaning Plan

What does Plan mean? Here you find 78 meanings of the word Plan. You can also add a definition of Plan yourself

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A debtor’s detailed description of how the debtor proposes to pay creditors’ claims over a fixed period of time.

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Plan

Relationships Broader Term:  map n. ~ 1. A sequence of steps to accomplish something. — 2. A map of a small region, such as a town or city, drawn with considerable detail. — 3. A diagram showing the [..]

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Plan

A benefit your employer, union or other group sponsor provides to you to pay for your health care services.

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Plan

Definition Government-issued document on how its goals in ICT in education are to be achieved within a specified timeframe. It details each activity to be undertaken, the method employed for implement [..]

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Plan

1 a series of actions that you think about carefully to help you to achieve somethingan economic/spending/corporate plana peace planmake/work out/outline a plan: We need to make a plan before we can s [..]

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Plan

1728, «make a plan of,» from plan (n.). Related: Planned; planning; plans. Planned economy is attested from 1931. Planned Parenthood (1942) formerly was Birth Control Federation of America.

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Plan

1670s as a technical term in perspective drawing; 1706 as «drawing, sketch, or diagram of any object,» from French plan «ground plan, map,» literally «plane surface» (mid [..]

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Plan

A scale drawing or diagram showing the structure or organization of an object or group of objects.

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Plan

A map showing features such as mine workings or geological structures on a horizontal plane.

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Plan

An intended future course of action. The basis for project controls. [D01194]

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Plan

Planning is the process of deciding, in advance, what is to be done and how it is to be done. (planning) Assigning estimates of the costs of all activities required to carry out the business of an org [..]

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Plan

to think out how a thing can be done before you do it. The same word also means a model or drawing showing the shape and design of something, like a building or a town

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Plan

A large-scale (1:5,000 or larger) detailed map of a relatively small area, such as a university campus, small park, garden, battlefield, or site on which a building or complex of buildings stands, sho [..]

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Plan

1 : a diagram of an area of land (as a subdivision) filed in the registry of deeds see also plot plan 2 : a detailed program ;esp : one made under chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code that places …

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Plan

This shows the ground plan design, elevation of house, number and size of rooms, kitchen, bathrooms, laundry layout and position of the house on the land.

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Plan

A test taken in the fall of the sophomore year in high school as practice for the ACT.

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Plan

A drawing representing a projection of any one of the floors or horizontal cross sections of a building or of the horizontal plane of any object or area.

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Plan

A graphic representation of a building structure or portion of a building structure, fire protection system, or fire assembly or equipment.

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Plan

See Backup plan

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Plan

Refers to a sequence of study within a program. It is a systems term that includes majors, minors and specialisations. At UNSW, plans are identified by a five-digit alphabetical prefix and a five-digi [..]

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Plan

(n) a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished(n) an arrangement scheme(n) scale drawing of a structure(v) have the will and intention to carry out some action(v) make plans [..]

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Plan

consilium, cogito

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Plan

Also known as a Planning Guide or Transfer Guide; a tool in TransferologyLab that lists the requirements for a selected degree program and shows how an individual student’s courses may apply toward [..]

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Plan

In PeopleSoft/e-campus, an area of study—such as a major, minor, or specialization—that is within an academic program or within an academic career.

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Plan

a detailed scheme or method for the accomplishment of an object.

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Plan

A package of services (including voice, messaging and/or data allowances) offered at a set monthly access fee.

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Plan

Each program must have at least one defined plan. A plan defines each of the specialisations/majors which might be available in a program (e.g. Bachelor of Science, specialising in Ecochemistry).

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Plan

The Plan is the Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET).

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Plan

means each individual Plan of each particular subscriber.

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Plan

The Plan is the Michigan Education Savings Program (MESP).

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Plan

The Plan is the Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust.

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Plan

Your plan is a formal, legally-binding contract of insurance that includes the terms of your cover.

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Plan

Alternative Health Care Delivery mechanisms, such as Preferred Provider Organizations or other Health Insurance services or prepaid plans (other than Health Maintenance Organizations), that meet Medic [..]

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Plan

Programs designed by management to motivate employees to Work more efficiently with increased productivity, and greater employee satisfaction.

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Plan

Method of charging whereby a Physician or other practitioner bills for each encounter or service rendered. In addition to Physicians, other Health care professionals are reimbursed via this mechanism. [..]

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Plan

Statements of Goals for the delivery of Health Services pertaining to the Health Systems Agency service area, established under PL 93-641, and consistent with national Guidelines for Health Planning.

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Plan

Health Insurance plans that are not intended to generate profit.

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Plan

Compensatory plans designed to motivate Physicians in relation to Patient referral, Physician recruitment, and efficient use of the Health Facility.

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Plan

Contracts between an Insurer and a subscriber or a group of subscribers whereby a specified set of Health benefits is provided in return for a periodic premium.

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Plan

State plans prepared by the State Health Planning and Development Agencies which are made up from plans submitted by the Health Systems Agencies and subject to Review and revision by the Statewide Hea [..]

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Plan

Chart covering a small area on a very large scale. There is no distortion, relative distances and positions being maintained.

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Plan

A drawing prepared for use in building a ship.

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Plan

A benefit your employer, union or other group sponsor provides to you to pay for your health care services.

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Plan

The VitalityLife Plan, VitalityLife Essentials Plan or Mortgage Plus Plan.

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Plan

A benefit your employer, union or other group sponsor provides to you to pay for your health care services.

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Plan

A retirement plan designed around the benefits of Social Security.

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Plan

All plans under which funds are deposited to provide for retirement benefits.

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Plan

A retirement plan under which some kind of benefits are guaranteed by an insurance carrier.

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Plan

This health care plan allows a choice of whether to receive services from a participating or nonparticipating provider.

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Plan

Any pension plan that is not funded through insurance products.

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Plan

A debtor’s detailed description of how the debtor proposes to pay creditors’ claims over a fixed period of time.

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Plan

supporting achievement of the asset management objectives

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Plan

The second basic issue in analyzing a question of policy: If there is a problem with current policy, does the speaker have a plan to solve the problem?

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Plan

1. An orthographic drawing or view on a horizontal plane, as of an instrument, a horizontal section, or a layout. 2. A large-scale map or chart of a small area, generally showing at increased scale a [..]

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Plan

1. Over the desk, down the fire escape, cross the road, down the alley, rubberneck passed the strip joint, and into the boozer. 2. Can be either a Short-term or Long-term objective during a game of Chess. Short-term could be to set up a capture by way of a Chess Fork; Long-term would be more like noticing a weakness on your opponent’s Kingside [..]

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Plan

A short or long term goal which a player bases his moves on. The goal may be to attack a weak spot in the camp or to checkmate the opponent. Formation of a solid plan is vital in a game of chess.

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Plan

A writing strategy by Edwin S. Ellis consisting of the following components: Preview audience, goals, & words. List main ideas & details. Assign numbers to indicate order. Note ideas in comple [..]

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Plan

(Predict/Locate/Add/Note)

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Plan

A document that describes the purpose and scope of a program or project – including actions needed within a specific time frame to comply with policies, requirements, or regulations.  It establishe [..]

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Plan

An overview of the requirements for completing a task (USAID Automated Directives System — ADS — Chapter 545).

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Plan

Horizontal layout of a building. Churches often have the form of a cross with two sections at right angles to each other. If the sections are of the same length and cross at the centre, they form a Gr [..]

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Plan

A test taken in the fall of the sophomore year in high school as practice for the ACT.

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Plan

A plan is a specific set of requirements that lead to an Award. Multiple plans may exist in a program. All students are enrolled in at least one plan. Accreditation of a plan requires approval of the [..]

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Plan

This career assessment and achievement test, created by ACT, is offered to FCHS

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Plan

See Academic Plan.

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Plan

A benefit your employer, union or other group sponsor provides to you to pay for your health care services.

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Plan

A project.

A technical drawing or diagram.

A detailed map.

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Plan

A plan of survey or a survey sketch of both primary or secondary survey systems.  Plan Processing System (PPS)

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Plan

See LEGAL SURVEY PLAN.

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Plan

A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. See also strategy. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of i [..]

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Plan

A plan is a set of instructions for attaining a given objective.
Plan or PLAN may also refer to:

Planning, the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan
Planning (cognitive), neurolog [..]

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Plan

In archaeological excavation, a plan is a drawn record of features and artifacts in the horizontal plane.

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Plan

plan is a calendar and day planner program for the X Window System based on the Motif widget set. plan is free software released under a custom permissive license.
Its main window shows a month (the c [..]

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Plan

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation which works in 71 countries across the world, in Africa, the Americas, and Asia to advance children’s rights and equali [..]

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Plan

Plans are a set of drawings or two-dimensional diagrams used to describe a place or object, or to communicate building or fabrication instructions. Usually plans are drawn or printed on paper, but th [..]

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Plan

The PLAN is a preliminary ACT test that is generally administered in the sophomore year. ACT, Inc. claims that it predicts success on the ACT. It is viewed as the ACT’s equivalent of the PSAT.

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Plan

Plan is an Indian Hindi psychological thriller film released in January 2004, starring Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra, Dino Morea and Sameera Reddy. It was produced by Sanjay Gupta and directed by Hrida [..]

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Plan

Plan is a bi-monthly architecture and design publication based in Dublin, Ireland. It caters mainly for Irish and international architects and designers. Plan also documents alternative architectural [..]

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Add meaning

Word PLAN
Character 4
Hyphenation plan
Pronunciations /plæn/

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What do we mean by plan?

An orderly or step-by-step conception or proposal for accomplishing an objective. noun

A proposed or intended course of action. noun

A systematic arrangement of elements or important parts; a configuration or outline. noun

A drawing or diagram made to scale showing the structure or arrangement of something. noun

In perspective rendering, one of several imaginary planes perpendicular to the line of vision between the viewer and the object being depicted. noun

A program or policy stipulating a service or benefit. noun

To formulate a scheme or program for the accomplishment, enactment, or attainment of. intransitive verb

To have as a specific aim or purpose; intend. intransitive verb

To draw or make a graphic representation of. intransitive verb

To make plans. intransitive verb

To lay down on paper the different parts, divisions, dimensions, and methods of construction of (a machine, ship, building, etc.): as, to plan an edifice.

To scheme; lay plans for; devise ways and means for: as, to plan the conquest of a country; to plan one’s escape.

Synonyms To figure, sketch out, delineate.

The representation of anything drawn on a plane, as a map or chart; specifically, the representation of a building or other structure in horizontal section, as it stands or is intended to stand on the ground, showing its extent, and the division and distribution of its area into apartments, rooms, passages, etc., or its method of construction and the relation of its parts. noun

Disposition of parts according to a certain design. noun

A formulated scheme for the accomplishment of some object or the attainment of an end; the various steps which have been thought out and decided upon for the carrying out of some project or operation. noun

A method or process; a way; a custom. noun

A type of structure: as, man is the highest development of the vertebrate plan; the plan of a mollusk or an insect. noun

In Ireland, a system of procedure formed in 1886 and supported by the National League. The officers of the League, acting as trustees, receive the rent of tenants on rack-rented estates; this money, less a certain abatement demanded by the tenants, is offered to the landlord; if the latter refuses it, it is used for support in cases of eviction. noun

Plan, Scheme, Project, Design, plot. Design may represent the end which a plan, scheme, or project is intended to promote. They all indicate thought given to the general aim and to the details. Scheme is the most likely to represent something speculative or visionary : as, he was full of schemes; project stands next to it in this respect, but project may also be the most definite or concrete : as, a project for building a bridge. Plan is the least definite; design and plan may be very indefinite, or have a concrete sense : as, a design or plan of going away; a design or plan of a house. Scheme is often used in a bad sense; design sometimes. noun

A drawing showing technical details of a building, machine, etc., with unwanted details omitted, and often using symbols rather than detailed drawing to represent doors, valves, etc.

A set of intended actions, usually mutually related, through which one expects to achieve a goal.

A two-dimensional drawing of a building as seen from above with obscuring or irrelevant details such as roof removed, or of a floor of a building, revealing the internal layout; as distinct from the elevation.

A method; a way of procedure; a custom.

A subscription to a service.

1. A plot, a schedule, or scheme
2. Hashish, marijuana Urban Dictionary

Weed in Russian Urban Dictionary

Something that rania monica vahe mircea nd demetri can never follow … Urban Dictionary

Sumthing i do not follow Urban Dictionary

A litany of complaints Urban Dictionary

Business jargon that represents the fact that no one knows what the fuck they are doing Urban Dictionary

Something Dutch has Urban Dictionary

The biggest fans of Gross Gore, known for spamming WideHardo Urban Dictionary

A terroristic group / movement, which was created by Gross Gore. Urban Dictionary

What people say they need to make because they want to look cool for having friends.
often written in a facebook status…makes you look like a loser. Urban Dictionary

Other forms: plans; planned; planning

Do you have an idea of what you want and have thought carefully and in detail about how to get it? Then you have a plan, a series of actions required to achieve a particular goal.

A plan can exist only in your head, or it can be a physical object, such as an architectural plan of a building, showing how you propose to build it. As a verb, plan means the act of thinking about how to achieve your aims. You might plan to apply to colleges soon. When you plan something, you’re laying the seeds for a future result, so it’s not surprising that plan comes from the early English word plante, meaning «seedling.»

Definitions of plan

  1. noun

    a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished

    “they drew up a six-step
    plan

    “they discussed
    plans for a new bond issue”

    synonyms:

    program, programme

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    types:

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    audit program, audit programme

    a listing of audit procedures to be performed in completing an audit

    outline, schema, scheme

    a schematic or preliminary plan

    master plan

    a long-term outline of a project or government function

    blueprint, design, pattern

    something intended as a guide for making something else

    plan of action

    a plan for actively doing something

    regime, regimen

    (medicine) a systematic plan for therapy (often including diet)

    project, projection

    a planned undertaking

    agenda, docket, schedule

    a temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to

    pension account, pension plan, retirement account, retirement plan, retirement program, retirement savings account, retirement savings plan

    a plan for setting aside money to be spent after retirement

    employee savings plan

    a plan that allows employees to contribute to an investment pool managed the employer

    guideline, road map

    a detailed plan or explanation to guide you in setting standards or determining a course of action

    stock purchase plan

    an organized plan for employees of a company to buy shares of its stock

    budget

    a summary of intended expenditures along with proposals for how to meet them

    play

    a preset plan of action in team sports

    policy

    a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group

    battle plan

    plan for conducting a battle

    system

    a procedure or process for obtaining an objective

    maneuver, manoeuvre, tactic, tactics

    a plan for attaining a particular goal

    scheme, strategy

    an elaborate and systematic plan of action

    itinerary, travel plan

    a proposed route of travel

    cash cow, money-spinner, moneymaker

    a project that generates a continuous flow of money

    fare, menu

    an agenda of things to do

    401-k, 401-k plan

    a retirement savings plan that is funded by employee contributions and (often) matching contributions from the employer; contributions are made from your salary before taxes and the funds grow tax-free until they are withdrawn, at which point they can be converted into an IRA; funds can be transferred if you change employers and you can (to some extent) manage the investments yourself

    IRA, individual retirement account

    a retirement plan that allows you to contribute a limited yearly sum toward your retirement; taxes on the interest earned in the account are deferred

    Keogh plan

    a tax-deferred pension plan for employees of unincorporated businesses or for self-employed persons

    ESOP, employee stock ownership plan

    a program under which employees regularly accumulate shares and may ultimately assume control of the company

    balanced budget

    a budget is balanced when current expenditures are equal to receipts

    initiative

    a new strategy or plan to solve a problem or improve a situation

    type of:

    idea, thought

    the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

  2. verb

    have the will and intention to carry out some action

    “He
    plans to be in graduate school next year”

    “The rebels had
    planned turmoil and confusion”

    synonyms:

    be after

  3. verb

    make plans for something

    “He is
    planning a trip with his family”

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    types:

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    schedule

    plan for an activity or event

    chart

    plan in detail

    project, propose

    present for consideration, examination, criticism, etc.

    compose, draw up, frame

    make up plans or basic details for

    plot

    plan secretly, usually something illegal

    scheme

    devise a system or form a scheme for

    designate, destine, intend, specify

    design or destine

    direct, engineer, mastermind, orchestrate, organise, organize

    plan and direct (a complex undertaking)

    lay out

    provide a detailed plan or design

    schedule

    make a schedule; plan the time and place for events

    time

    assign a time for an activity or event

    book

    engage for a performance

    calendar

    enter into a calendar

    slot

    assign a time slot

    offer

    put forward for consideration

    introduce

    put before (a body)

    cabal, complot, conjure, conspire, machinate

    engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together

    counterplot

    make a plot in response to another plot

    connive, intrigue, scheme

    form intrigues (for) in an underhand manner

    mean

    destine or designate for a certain purpose

    design

    plan something for a specific role or purpose or effect

    slate

    designate or schedule

    choreograph

    plan and oversee the development and details of

    block out

    plan where and when songs should be inserted into a theatrical production, or plan a theatrical production in general

    loft

    lay out a full-scale working drawing of the lines of a vessel’s hull

    aim, calculate, direct

    specifically design a product, event, or activity for a certain public

    program, programme

    arrange a program of or for

    reschedule

    assign a new time and place for an event

    type of:

    cerebrate, cogitate, think

    use or exercise the mind or one’s power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments

  4. verb

    make or work out a plan for; devise

    plan an attack”

    synonyms:

    contrive, design, project

  5. noun

    an arrangement scheme

    “a
    plan for seating guests”

    synonyms:

    design

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    types:

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    configuration, constellation

    an arrangement of parts or elements

    layout

    a plan or design of something that is laid out

    snare, trap

    something (often something deceptively attractive) that catches you unawares

    hotel plan, meal plan

    a plan and a room rate for providing a room and meals to guests at a hotel

    redundancy

    (electronics) a system design that duplicates components to provide alternatives in case one component fails

    network topology, topology

    the configuration of a communication network

    chunking, unitisation, unitization

    (psychology) the configuration of smaller units of information into large coordinated units

    iron trap

    a trap from which there is no escape

    speed trap

    a trap arranged on a roadway for catching speeders

    American plan

    a hotel plan that includes three meals daily

    Bermuda plan

    a hotel plan that provides a full breakfast daily

    European plan, continental plan

    a hotel plan that provides a continental breakfast daily

    type of:

    arrangement, organisation, organization, system

    an organized structure for arranging or classifying

  6. noun

    scale drawing of a structure

    “the
    plans for City Hall were on file”

    synonyms:

    architectural plan

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    types:

    elevation

    drawing of an exterior of a structure

    floor plan

    scale drawing of a horizontal section through a building at a given level; contrasts with elevation

    ground plan

    a floor plan for the ground level of a building

    type of:

    drawing

    a representation of forms or objects on a surface by means of lines

  7. verb

    make a design of; plan out in systematic, often graphic form

    plan the new wing of the museum”

    synonyms:

    design

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘plan’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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