INDEX:
1. a plan to do something
2. a plan to do something bad
3. a plan of the times when things will happen
4. someone who plans something
5. to make plans
6. to plan something that will happen a long time in the future
7. to plan something bad
8. ways of saying that something is being planned
9. words for describing something that has been planned
10. not planned
11. to not try to plan things, but deal with them as they happen
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ PREPARE
↑ DESIGN
↑ ORGANIZE
↑ ARRANGE
↑ INTEND/NOT INTEND
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1. a plan to do something
▷ plan /plæn/ [countable noun]
something that you have decided to do, and the methods you will use to do it :
▪ Her plan is to finish her degree and then go and teach in Japan.
plan to do something
▪ The school has plans to build a computer centre.
plan for
▪ NASA has announced plans for a new space mission to Mars.
business/career etc plan
▪ You can’t get a loan to start a new company if you don’t have a good business plan.
make plans
▪ By January, many people are already making plans for their summer holidays.
go according to plan
when things happen exactly as you intended
▪ Everything went according to plan, and we all crossed the river safely.
a plan falls through
when you cannot do what you intended to do, because something unexpected happens
▪ There was an airline strike in India, and all our plans fell through at the last minute.
plan A/plan B
use this when you are saying that you have two possible plans, in case the first one is not successful
▪ Plan A obviously wasn’t going to work, so we had to resort to plan B.
▷ plan of action/game plan /ˌplæn əv ˈækʃ ə n, ˈgeɪm plæn/ [noun phrase] informal
a detailed plan explaining exactly how to achieve something :
▪ Here’s my game plan, Roger. I want to make the magazine a monthly, and cut it down to sixty or seventy pages.
decide/devise/put forward etc a plan of action
▪ If the problem continues, discuss a plan of action with your colleagues.
▷ strategy /ˈstrætɪdʒi, ˈstrætədʒi/ []
a carefully designed plan for achieving something that is difficult and may take a long time :
strategy for doing something
▪ We need a new strategy for increasing our sales in Europe.
▪ Murdoch bought several TV stations, as part of his strategy for building a media empire.
strategy of
▪ The rebels’ strategy of guerrilla warfare has been remarkably successful.
a/an campaign/economic/military etc strategy
▪ the President’s long-term economic strategy
▷ programme British /program American /ˈprəʊgræm/ [countable noun]
a series of activities, organized by a government or other large organization, that is designed to achieve something important and will continue for a long time :
programme of
▪ The irrigation project is part of a programme of aid to West Africa.
training/research/space etc programme
▪ It’s a major research program, aimed at developing cheaper fuels.
launch a programme
▪ The government has launched a programme to help unemployed young people find work.
▷ policy /ˈpɒlɪsi, ˈpɒləsiǁˈpɑː-/ [countable noun]
a plan or set of principles agreed by the members of a government, a political group, a company etc, that says how they intend to deal with a particular subject or problem :
▪ It is not our policy to reveal our clients’ names.
environmental/monetary/economic etc policy
▪ Most large companies these days operate an equal opportunities policy.
▪ US foreign policy towards other countries
policy on
▪ the government’s policy on Europe
policy towards
▪ The Cuban revolution resulted in a reassessment of Washington’s policy towards the Third World generally.
policy of
▪ A new ruler might adopt a policy of drastically cutting back oil production in order to boost prices.
▷ scheme /skiːm/ [countable noun] British
an official plan that is intended to help particular groups of people, for example people who are very poor, without jobs, or who need a better education :
scheme to do something
▪ Several organizations run schemes to help women find work after their children have started school.
a training/literacy/resettlement etc scheme
▪ The government’s Youth Training Scheme soon ran into difficulties.
▪ Adult literacy schemes have been run with great success in the inner cities.
▷ budget /ˈbʌdʒɪt, ˈbʌdʒət/ [countable noun]
a plan that shows exactly what things you will spend a particular amount of money on :
household/food/advertising etc budget
▪ Mum always worked out the household budget according to what we could afford.
▪ The company has had to cut £46,000 from its advertising budget.
over/under budget
having spent more or less than the amount planned
▪ Several of our recent projects have been wildly over budget.
▪ The renovation work to St George’s Hall was completed six months ahead of schedule and under budget.
budget deficit
a situation in which more money has been spent than is available
▪ Texas faces a budget deficit of over $4 billion.
balance the/your budget
make sure that only the money available is spent
▪ The council has said that jobs will have to be cut in order to balance the budget.
▷ blueprint /ˈbluːˌprɪnt/ [countable noun]
a completely new plan for important changes or ways of dealing with a problem :
blueprint for
▪ Conservation groups have suggested a blueprint for a ‘Green World’.
▪ A panel of advisors is urging The White House to adopt a blueprint for dealing with such emergencies.
2. a plan to do something bad
▷ plot /plɒtǁplɑːt/ [countable noun]
a secret plan to do something bad, especially to the members of a government :
▪ The plot was quickly discovered, and five men were arrested.
plot to do something
▪ a plot to assassinate the President
plot against
▪ Janis was suspected of masterminding a plot against US airlines in East Asia.
▷ conspiracy /kənˈspɪrəsi/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a secret and usually complicated plan made by two or more people to do something bad or illegal together :
conspiracy to do something
▪ There was a conspiracy to defraud the company of millions of dollars.
conspiracy against
▪ Reynolds was charged with conspiracy against the government.
▷ scheme /skiːm/ [countable noun]
a plan to do something bad or illegal, especially one that you consider to be stupid or unlikely to be successful :
▪ He’s always coming up with these dumb schemes for making money that just land us in trouble.
▷ intrigue /ˈɪntriːg/ [uncountable noun]
secret planning and arrangements, agreed in order to gain advantages and power for yourself :
▪ The world of politics is a world of deception and intrigue.
3. a plan of the times when things will happen
▷ timetable British /schedule American /ˈtaɪmˌteɪb ə l, ˈʃedjuːlǁˈskedʒʊl, -dʒ ə l/ [countable noun]
a written list that shows the exact times when something will happen, for example when planes or buses leave, or when classes at school take place :
▪ The timetable said there was another train at 6.15.
▪ According to my schedule, we’ve got Math first and then Biology.
bus/train/school timetable
▪ Have you got the new bus timetable for this year?
timetable of
▪ I’d like a schedule of the flights from Boston to New York, please.
▷ schedule /ˈʃedjuːlǁˈskedʒʊl, -dʒ ə l/ [countable noun]
a detailed plan of what someone is going to do and when they will do it, especially someone important :
▪ The President’s schedule includes a two-day visit to St Petersburg.
busy/tight schedule
when you plan to do a lot of things in a short time
▪ She has a pretty tight schedule, but she may be able to meet you for lunch.
light schedule
one that is not very busy
▪ I make sure that I have a fairly light schedule in the summer when the kids are on vacation.
on schedule
at or according to the time planned
▪ Tom arrived on schedule at twenty to eight.
ahead of/behind schedule
before/later than the time planned
▪ For once, I managed to finish the book I was writing ahead of schedule.
▪ Due to the bad weather, the building work was already behind schedule.
▷ programme British /program American /ˈprəʊgræm/ [countable noun]
a plan that shows the order of activities at a ceremony, sports meeting, public event etc :
▪ The next race on today’s program is the women’s 1000 meters.
▪ Who is organizing the conference programme?
4. someone who plans something
▷ planner /ˈplænəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who works for a government or a company, and who plans how future situations and problems should be dealt with according to what they think is likely to happen :
▪ The proposal will be carefully examined by a committee of executives, planners and consultants.
financial/military/environmental etc planners
▪ Economic planners fear that there will be a 5% fall in real incomes next year.
▪ a financial planner
▪ Military planners and diplomats worry that the North’s increasing distress over food supplies could provoke it to invade the South.
▷ architect /ˈɑːʳkɪtekt, ˈɑːʳkətekt/ [countable noun]
the person who originally thought of an important and successful plan, especially in politics or business :
the architect of something
▪ Beveridge is usually thought of as the architect of the British National Health Service.
▪ the chief architect of the election victory
▷ mastermind /ˈmɑːstəʳmaɪndǁˈmæs-/ [countable noun]
a person who cleverly plans a complicated operation, especially in order to carry out a crime :
▪ The court heard that it was Mrs Thompson who was the mastermind, not her husband.
the mastermind behind/of something
▪ Andres is the mastermind behind a huge drug-smuggling operation.
a criminal mastermind
▪ The film stars Morgan Freeman as a criminal mastermind.
5. to make plans
▷ plan /plæn/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to think carefully about something you are going to do, and decide how you will do it :
▪ Sue spent months planning her trip.
▪ The burglary had obviously been very carefully planned.
plan how/what/where etc
▪ Have you planned how you’re going to spend your prize money?
plan for
▪ I think we should plan for about 50 guests.
▪ We’re planning for rain because the forecast isn’t good.
have something planned
have planned something carefully already
▪ Don’t worry, I have the whole evening planned.
planning [uncountable noun]
the activity of deciding how you will do something that you intend to do :
▪ After weeks of planning, the big day finally arrived.
financial/town/military etc planning
▪ Increasing traffic congestion is a major influence on town planning.
▷ make plans /ˌmeɪk ˈplænz/ [verb phrase]
to think about and talk about something that you intend to do, especially something that needs to be carefully planned :
▪ We sat around the table, talking, laughing, and making plans.
make plans for
▪ I’ve already started to make plans for the wedding - there’s so much to do.
▷ make arrangements /ˌmeɪk əˈreɪndʒmənts/ [verb phrase]
to organize the details of an event or trip, such as the times in which things will happen :
▪ I’d booked the flight and made all the arrangements well in advance.
make arrangements for
▪ John’s brother kindly made the arrangements for the funeral.
make arrangements to do something
▪ Vivian and her boyfriend are making arrangements to join us in Australia.
make arrangements with
▪ Please telephone and make arrangements with my secretary.
▷ work out especially British also figure out American /ˌwɜːʳk ˈaʊt, ˌfɪgər ˈaʊtǁˌfɪgjər-/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to think carefully about how you are going to do something, especially something complicated or difficult, and plan a good way of doing it :
▪ Management consultant Peter Brant worked out the schedule in October 1983.
▪ UN negotiators have figured out a plan which they hope will be acceptable to both sides.
work/figure out a way of doing something
▪ The first thing you’ll have to do is figure out a way of earning the money.
work out what/where/how etc
▪ I’ll certainly go back to my job once I’ve worked out who’s going to look after the kids during the day.
have it all worked/figured out
have completely planned how you are going to do something
▪ The killer, whoever he was, had it all worked out.
▷ map out /ˌmæp ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to plan all the details of how something is going to develop in the future, especially over a long period of time :
▪ Representatives from several European countries met to map out details of the proposed aid program.
have your future/career/education etc mapped out
▪ Jodie has her career all mapped out.
▪ By the time he was 15, his parents already had his future mapped out.
▷ budget /ˈbʌdʒɪt, ˈbʌdʒət/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to plan how you will spend your money during a certain period of time or for a particular activity :
▪ Mark’s capable of earning a lot, but he’s no idea how to budget or save.
▪ Our annual expenditure on training has been carefully budgeted.
budget for
▪ At university, young people have to budget for their living expenses, and organise their time.
budgeting [uncountable noun]
▪ The job will involve budgeting and decision-making, as well as managing the project.
▷ formulate /ˈfɔːʳmjɑleɪt/ [transitive verb]
if members of a government, company, or other organization formulate a plan or proposal, they decide the details of what is going to be done :
▪ Changes to the education system should be formulated by teachers not politicians.
formulate a plan/policy/proposal etc
▪ The government has set up a working party to formulate proposals for reducing environmental pollution.
formulation /ˌfɔːʳmjɑˈleɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
the formulation of something
▪ A small group of advisers helps the President with the formulation of foreign policy.
▷ mastermind /ˈmɑːstəʳmaɪndǁˈmæs-/ [transitive verb]
to be the person who is in charge of planning a complicated or difficult operation, especially a crime :
▪ The raid, one of the most daring crimes of the century, was masterminded by Italian playboy, Giovanni Cattani.
▪ Well-known as a tough industrialist, he masterminded 50 company takeovers in one year.
6. to plan something that will happen a long time in the future
▷ plan ahead /ˌplæn əˈhed/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
▪ Once you have children, it’s wise to plan ahead.
▪ Fluctuations in oil prices on the world market make it impossible for developing countries to plan ahead.
plan ahead for
▪ It’s never too soon to start planning ahead for your retirement.
▷ look ahead /ˌlʊk əˈhed/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to think about what may happen in the future so that you are aware of it when you make plans :
▪ By looking ahead, management are then in a good position to anticipate potential problems.
look ahead to
▪ All footballers have to look ahead to the time when they leave the game.
▷ forward planning British /future planning American /ˌfɔːʳwəʳd ˈplænɪŋ, ˌfjuːtʃəʳ ˈplænɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
the activity of thinking carefully about what will happen in the future, and including this in your present plans, especially in order to make possible problems easier to deal with when the time comes :
▪ With a little more forward planning, we could have avoided these problems.
▪ Expert advice is available for investors who wish to engage in future planning.
7. to plan something bad
▷ plot /plɒtǁplɑːt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to make secret plans to do something wrong or illegal :
▪ The court heard how Mrs Taylor and her lover had plotted the murder of her husband.
plot to do something
▪ Three men were charged with plotting to plant the biggest bomb ever in Central London.
plot against
▪ Plotting against the government was punishable by death.
▷ scheme /skiːm/ [intransitive verb]
to secretly make clever and dishonest plans to get or achieve something :
scheme to do something
▪ Behind the scenes, a small group was scheming to remove the Chairman from office.
▪ Against all the rules of the competition, Nick was scheming to win.
scheme against
▪ As the King got older, he became convinced that his family were scheming against him.
▷ conspire /kənˈspaɪəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
if two or more people conspire to do something illegal or harmful, they plan secretly to do it :
conspire to do something
▪ Ten men were convicted of conspiring to bomb the UN and the FBI buildings in New York.
▪ Kevin Maxwell faced two charges of conspiring to defraud pensioners.
conspire against
▪ The President called a meeting and accused his aides of conspiring against him.
conspire with
▪ There was no doubt that they were conspiring with other African guerrilla movements.
conspirator /kənˈspɪrətəʳ/ [countable noun]
▪ The conspirators people who are conspiring
▪ met in a disused warehouse to discuss their plans.
8. ways of saying that something is being planned
▷ be in the pipeline /biː ɪn ðə ˈpaɪplaɪn/ [verb phrase]
if something such as a new product or a change is in the pipeline, it is being planned and prepared and it will be ready soon :
▪ After considerable market research, several new products are now in the pipeline.
▪ There are one or two important changes in the pipeline.
▷ be in the planning stages also be at the planning stage British /biː ɪn ðə ˈplænɪŋ ˌsteɪdʒə̇z, biː ət ðə ˈplænɪŋ ˌsteɪdʒ/ [verb phrase]
if something such as a product is in the planning stages, it is being planned, but the final details have not yet been decided :
▪ A new museum is currently at the planning stage at Bowness.
▪ The programme is only in the planning stages, and is not likely to be broadcast until next year.
▷ afoot /əˈfʊt/ [adjective not before noun]
if something new, interesting, strange, or dishonest is afoot, someone is planning it, especially secretly :
▪ From information received, it was thought that some illegal activity was afoot.
▪ A quick look round the research and development facility in Versailles revealed a number of interesting software projects afoot.
plans/changes/moves etc are afoot
▪ Plans are now afoot for an important exhibition of Canaletto in England.
▪ Apparently, moves are afoot to ban smoking in public places.
9. words for describing something that has been planned
▷ planned /plænd/ [adjective]
▪ Some people prefer a vacation with a lot of planned activities.
▪ The number of planned job cuts by major US businesses declined in October from a year ago.
▷ scheduled /ˈʃedjuːldǁˈskedʒʊld, -dʒ ə ld/ [adjective]
planned to happen at a particular time :
▪ Heavy snow closed airports and forced the cancellation of scheduled budget talks at the White House.
scheduled to do something
▪ A UN mission was scheduled to leave on February 29.
scheduled for
▪ The play was originally scheduled for October, but it had to be cancelled.
▷ strategic /strəˈtiːdʒɪk/ [adjective only before noun]
done as part of a plan, especially in a military, business, or political situation, in order to gain an advantage against your opponents :
▪ The British army made a strategic withdrawal across the English Channel.
▪ The two countries agreed to join together in a strategic alliance.
strategically [adverb]
▪ Ammunition storage depots are strategically located throughout the country.
▷ well/carefully thought out /ˌwel, ˌkeəʳf ə li θɔːt ˈaʊt/ [adjective phrase]
something that is well thought out has been carefully planned so that it will work well and achieve its desired results :
▪ If you’re planning to take a year out between school and university, it needs to be carefully thought out.
▪ The average worker’s long-term financial security will depend upon having a well-thought-out personal finance plan.
10. not planned
▷ unplanned /ˌʌnˈplænd◂/ [adjective]
▪ As a surprise, we decided to make an unplanned visit to my mother’s.
▪ Very few burglaries are completely unplanned.
▪ Unplanned pregnancies in the US each year are estimated at 3 million.
▷ spontaneous /spɒnˈteɪniəsǁspɑːn-/ [adjective]
something that is spontaneous is done because you suddenly feel you want to do it, not because you have arranged to do it or been asked to do it :
▪ The crowd gave a spontaneous cheer when the news was announced.
▪ The invitation was completely spontaneous.
▪ an act of spontaneous generosity
spontaneously [adverb]
▪ It’s great when the children spontaneously show affection or appreciation.
spontaneity /ˌspɒntəˈniːɪti, ˌspɒntəˈniːəti, -ˈneɪə̇tiǁˌspɑːn-/ [uncountable noun]
▪ the beauty and spontaneity of African worship
▷ impromptu /ɪmˈprɒmptjuːǁɪmˈprɑːmptuː/ [adjective usually before noun]
done or happening without any planning or preparation :
▪ We finished the day with an impromptu game of football in a nearby field.
▪ Jem’s impromptu speech met with thunderous applause.
▷ not well thought out /nɒt ˌwel θɔːt ˈaʊt/ [adjective phrase]
something that is not well thought out has not been planned carefully enough and therefore is unlikely to work well :
▪ Reagan’s plan was a bold one, but it was not well thought out.
▪ If your business proposal is not very well thought out, you will find it difficult to get financial backing.
▷ ad hoc /æd ˈhɒkǁ-ˈhɑːk, -ˈhəʊk/ [adjective phrase only before noun]
not planned or organized in advance :
▪ You never know when you might have to have an ad hoc meeting with a client.
▪ Historical records have often been kept in an ad hoc way, so that our information is not complete.
on an ad hoc basis
when you need to do it, not in a planned way
▪ Most companies have some people working for them on an ad hoc basis.
11. to not try to plan things, but deal with them as they happen
▷ take something as it comes /ˌteɪk something əz ɪt ˈkʌmz/ [verb phrase]
to not worry about or plan for something that has not happened yet, but decide what to do when it happens :
▪ I always think the best way of approaching an interview is to take it as it comes.
take things as they come
▪ The only way to manage when you have small kids is to take things as they come.
take life as it comes/take each day as it comes
▪ If I were you, I’d just enjoy each day and take life as it comes.
▷ play it by ear /ˌpleɪ ɪt baɪ ˈɪəʳ/ [verb phrase] spoken
to not make plans about how to deal with a particular situation, but decide to wait until it actually happens and hope that you will know what to do then :
▪ ‘Shall we tell Dad what’s happened?’ ‘Let’s play it by ear and see what sort of mood he’s in.’
▪ We’ve booked the flight, but not the accommodation -- we’ll play it by ear when we get there.
▷ live from day to day /ˌlɪv frəm ˌdeɪ tə ˈdeɪ/ [verb phrase]
to not plan very far in the future because you have too many problems now to be able to think about what may happen later :
▪ Since Jim got ill, we’ve just had to live from day to day.
▪ There’s nothing as depressing as living from day to day, as the unemployed are forced to do.
▷ one day at a time /wʌn ˌdeɪ ət ə ˈtaɪm/ [adverb]
if you deal with a problem or difficult situation one day at a time, you try to think about just what is happening in the present and do not try to plan what you will do in the future :
▪ I’ve no idea where we’ll live. Anyway, one day at a time.
take/live one day at a time
▪ In order to overcome their addiction, they have to learn to take one day at a time.