(~s, ~ting, ~ted)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a secret plan by a group of people to do something that is illegal or wrong, usually against a person or a government.
Security forces have uncovered a ~ to overthrow the government...
He was responding to reports of an assassination ~ against him.
N-COUNT: usu N to-inf, N against n
2.
If people ~ to do something or ~ something that is illegal or wrong, they plan secretly to do it.
Prosecutors in the trial allege the defendants ~ted to overthrow the government...
The military were ~ting a coup...
They are awaiting trial on charges of ~ting against the state.
VERB: V to-inf, V n, V against n
3.
When people ~ a strategy or a course of action, they carefully plan each step of it.
Yesterday’s meeting was intended to ~ a survival strategy for the party...
VERB: V n
4.
The ~ of a film, novel, or play is the connected series of events which make up the story.
N-VAR
see also sub-~
5.
A ~ of land is a small piece of land, especially one that has been measured or marked out for a special purpose, such as building houses or growing vegetables.
The bottom of the garden was given over to vegetable ~s.
N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n
6.
When someone ~s something on a graph, they mark certain points on it and then join the points up.
We ~ about eight points on the graph.
VERB: V n
7.
When someone ~s the position or course of a plane or ship, they mark it on a map using instruments to obtain accurate information.
We were trying to ~ the course of the submarine.
VERB: V n
8.
If someone ~s the progress or development of something, they make a diagram or a plan which shows how it has developed in order to give some indication of how it will develop in the future.
They used a computer to ~ the movements of everyone in the building.
VERB: V n
9.
If someone loses the ~, they become confused and do not know what they should do. (INFORMAL)
The Tories have lost the ~ on law and order.
PHRASE: V inflects