Adjacent Words

Plan definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PLAN,n.
1. A draught or form; properly, the representation of any thing drawn on a plane, as a map or chart, which is a representation of some portion of land or water. But the word is applied particularly to the model of a building, showing the form, extent and divisions in miniature,and it may be applied to the draught or representation of any projected work on paper or on a plain surface; as the plan of a town or city, or of a harbor or fort. The form of a machine in miniature, is called a model.
2. A scheme devised; a project; the form of something to be done existing in the mind, with the several parts adjusted in idea, expressed in words or committed to writing; as the plan of a constitution of government; the plan of a treaty; the plan of an expedition.
PLAN, v.t. To form a draught or representation of any intended work.
1. To scheme; to devise; to form in design; as, to plan the conquest of a country; to plan a reduction of taxes or of the national debt.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: 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" [syn: plan, program, programme]
2: an arrangement scheme; "the awkward design of the keyboard made operation difficult"; "it was an excellent design for living"; "a plan for seating guests" [syn: design, plan]
3: scale drawing of a structure; "the plans for City Hall were on file" [syn: plan, architectural plan] v
1: 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" [syn: plan, be after]
2: make plans for something; "He is planning a trip with his family"
3: make or work out a plan for; devise; "They contrived to murder their boss"; "design a new sales strategy"; "plan an attack" [syn: plan, project, contrive, design]
4: make a design of; plan out in systematic, often graphic form; "design a better mousetrap"; "plan the new wing of the museum" [syn: design, plan]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: French, plane, foundation, ground plan; partly from Latin planum level ground, from neuter of planus level; partly from French planter to plant, fix in place, from Late Latin plantare — more at floor, plant Date: 1706 1. a drawing or diagram drawn on a plane: as a. a top or horizontal view of an object b. a large-scale map of a small area 2. a. a method for achieving an end b. an often customary method of doing something ; procedure c. a detailed formulation of a program of action d. goal, aim 3. an orderly arrangement of parts of an overall design or objective 4. a detailed program (as for payment or the provision of some service) <pension plan> • planless adjective • planlessly adverb • planlessness noun Synonyms: plan, design, plot, scheme, project 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>. design often suggests a particular pattern and some degree of achieved order or harmony <a design for a new dress>. plot implies a laying out in clearly distinguished sections with attention to their relations and proportions <the plot of the play>. 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>. project often stresses imaginative scope and vision <a project to develop the waterfront>. II. verb (planned; planning) Date: 1728 transitive verb 1. to arrange the parts of ; design <plan a new layout> 2. to devise or project the realization or achievement of <planned their escape> 3. to have in mind ; intend <plans to leave soon> intransitive verb 1. to make plans <plan ahead> 2. to have a specified intention — used with on <plans on going> • planner noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a formulated and esp. detailed method by which a thing is to be done; a design or scheme. b an intention or proposed proceeding (my plan was to distract them; plan of campaign). 2 a drawing or diagram made by projection on a horizontal plane, esp. showing a building or one floor of a building (cf. ELEVATION). 3 a large-scale detailed map of a town or district. 4 a a table etc. indicating times, places, etc. of intended proceedings. b a scheme or arrangement (prepared the seating plan). 5 an imaginary plane perpendicular to the line of vision and containing the objects shown in a picture. --v. (planned, planning) 1 tr. (often foll. by that + clause or to + infin.) arrange (a procedure etc.) beforehand; form a plan (planned to catch the evening ferry). 2 tr. a design (a building, new town, etc.). b make a plan of (an existing building, an area, etc.). 3 tr. (as planned adj.) in accordance with a plan (his planned arrival; planned parenthood). 4 intr. make plans. Phrases and idioms: planning permission Brit. formal permission for building development etc., esp. from a local authority. plan on colloq. aim at doing; intend. Derivatives: planning n. Etymology: F f. earlier plant, f. It. pianta plan of building: cf. PLANT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plan Plan, n. [F., fr. L. planus flat, level. See Plain, a.] 1. A draught or form; properly, a representation drawn on a plane, as a map or a chart; especially, a top view, as of a machine, or the representation or delineation of a horizontal section of anything, as of a building; a graphic representation; a diagram. 2. A scheme devised; a method of action or procedure expressed or described in language; a project; as, the plan of a constitution; the plan of an expedition. God's plans like lines pure and white unfold. --M. R. Smith. 3. A method; a way of procedure; a custom. The simple plan, That they should take who have the power, And they should keep who can. --Wordsworth. Body plan, Floor plan, etc. See under Body, Floor, etc. Syn: Scheme; draught; delineation; plot; sketch; project; design; contrivance; device. See Scheme.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plan Plan, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planned; p. pr. & vb. n. Planning.] 1. To form a delineation of; to draught; to represent, as by a diagram. 2. To scheme; to devise; to contrive; to form in design; as, to plan the conquest of a country. Even in penance, planning sins anew. --Goldsmith.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(plans, planning, planned) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. A plan is a method of achieving something that you have worked out in detail beforehand. The three leaders had worked out a peace plan... ...a detailed plan of action for restructuring the group... He maintains that everything is going according to plan. N-COUNT: usu with supp, also according to N 2. If you plan what you are going to do, you decide in detail what you are going to do, and you intend to do it. If you plan what you're going to eat, you reduce your chances of overeating... He planned to leave Baghdad on Monday... It would be difficult for schools to plan for the future... I had been planning a trip to the West Coast... A planned demonstration has been called off by its organisers. VERB: V wh, V to-inf, V for n, V n, V-ed 3. If you have plans, you are intending to do a particular thing. 'I'm sorry,' she said. 'I have plans for tonight.' N-PLURAL: usu with supp, oft N for n/-ing, N to-inf 4. When you plan something that you are going to make, build, or create, you decide what the main parts of it will be and do a drawing of how it should be made. We are planning a new kitchen. VERB: V n 5. A plan of something that is going to be built or made is a detailed diagram or drawing of it. ...when you have drawn a plan of the garden. N-COUNT: oft N of/for n 6. see also planning

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Draught, sketch, plot, drawing, map, chart, delineation. 2. Scheme, project, system, method, device, design, contrivance, proposal, proposition. 3. Method, process, way, custom. II. v. a. 1. Delineate, figure, represent, mark out, chalk out, sketch out. 2. Devise, contrive, scheme, project, plot, invent, design, concoct, digest, lay out, prepare, hatch.

Moby Thesaurus

action, adjust, affair, aim, aim at, alphabet, ambition, anagnorisis, anatomy, angle, animus, anticipate, approach, architectonics, architecture, argument, arrange, arrangement, art, aspiration, aspire after, aspire to, atmosphere, attempt, await, background, be after, be destined, be fated, be imminent, be to be, be to come, beget, blueprint, breed, bring forth, bring into being, build, building, business, calculate, call into being, cast, catalog, catalogue raisonne, catastrophe, charactering, characterization, chart, choreography, clear for action, clear the decks, codify, coin, color, come, come on, commitment, complication, composition, conceive, conception, concert, concoct, conformation, constitution, construction, contemplate, continuity, contract, contrivance, contrive, conventional representation, cook up, coordinate, counsel, course of action, creation, cure, cut out, dance notation, deal, delineate, delineation, demonstration, denouement, depiction, depictment, deploy, desideration, desideratum, design, desire, destine, determination, determine, develop, development, device, devise, diagram, discover, drama, draw near, draw on, drawing, dream up, dress, drive at, effect, effort, engagement, engender, enterprise, envisage, envision, episode, evolve, exemplification, expect, fable, fabric, fabricate, fabrication, falling action, fashion, fashioning, figuration, figure, fix, fix up, fixed purpose, forecast, foresee, foretell, forethink, forging, form, format, formation, formula, frame, frame up, function, game plan, generate, get ready, getup, gimmick, give being to, give rise to, go for, graph, ground plan, harbor a design, harmonize, hatch, have every intention, hieroglyphic, hope, iconography, idea, ideogram, illustration, imagery, imaging, improvise, incident, intend, intendment, intent, intention, invent, lay down, lay out, lay plans, layout, letter, lie ahead, limning, line, local color, logogram, logograph, look for, look forward to, loom, make, make a projection, make arrangements, make do with, make preparations, make ready, make up, makeup, making, manufacture, map, map out, mature, mean, meaning, means, method, methodize, mind, mint, mobilize, mold, molding, mood, motif, motive, movement, musical notation, mythos, near, nisus, normalize, notation, notion, object, obligation, operation, orderliness, organic structure, organism, organization, organize, originate, outline, pack, pack the deal, pattern, patterning, peripeteia, physique, pictogram, picturization, plan ahead, platform, plot, point, policy, portraiture, portrayal, prearrange, preconcert, preconsider, precontrive, predesign, predetermine, predict, prefigurement, premeditate, preorder, prep, prepare, preresolve, presentment, pretreat, printing, procedure, process, procreate, production, program, project, projection, prophesy, proposal, propose, proposition, prospectus, provide, purport, purpose, put in shape, rationalize, ready, ready up, realization, recognition, regularize, regulate, rendering, rendition, representation, resolution, resolve, rig, rising action, routinize, sake, scenario, schedule, schema, schematize, scheme, score, script, secondary plot, set, set up, settle, settle preliminaries, setup, sew up, shape, shaping, sketch, slant, spawn, stack the cards, standardize, story, strategy, strike out, striving, structure, structuring, study, subject, subplot, switch, syllabary, symbol, synchronize, system, systematize, tablature, table, table of contents, tan, task, tectonics, texture, thematic development, theme, think, think out, think up, threaten, tissue, tone, topic, treat, trim, try out, tune, tune up, twist, undertaking, venture, view, warp and woof, way, weave, web, will, work, work out, work out beforehand, work up, writing