I. plan 1 S1 W1 /plæn/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ plan , ↑ planner , ↑ planning ; verb : ↑ plan ; adjective : planned ≠ ↑ unplanned ]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: French ; Origin: 'drawing of a building at ground level' ; partly from Latin planum 'level ground' , partly from French planter 'to plant' ]
1 . INTENTION something you have decided to do:
His plan is to get a degree in economics and then work abroad for a year.
Do you have any plans for the weekend?
There’s been a change of plan – we’re not going to Ibiza after all.
the best plan British English (=the best course of action)
Your best plan would be to take a taxi.
2 . METHOD/ARRANGEMENT a set of actions for achieving something in the future, especially a set of actions that has been considered carefully and in detail
plan for
The chairman outlined the company’s plans for achieving a 10% growth in sales.
plan to do something
There are plans to turn the site of the factory into a park.
3 . MAP a drawing similar to a map, showing roads, towns, and buildings
plan of
a street plan of London
4 . DRAWING
a) technical a drawing of a building, room, or machine as it would be seen from above, showing the shape, size, and position of the walls, windows, and doors ⇨ ↑ elevation (4), ↑ section 1 (7), ↑ ground plan (1)
b) a drawing that shows exactly how something will be arranged:
I have to organise a seating plan for the dinner.
5 . plan A, Plan A your first plan, which you will use if things happen the way you expect:
We’re going to find a restaurant and buy a meal. That’s Plan A.
6 . plan B, Plan B your second plan, which you can use if things do not happen the way you expect:
It’s time to put Plan B into action.
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ verbs
▪ have plans
I have no plans to retire yet.
▪ change your plans
We had to change our plans at the last minute.
▪ abandon/give up your plans
The city authorities have abandoned their plans to host the Super Bowl.
▪ cancel your plans
The weather got worse, and we had to cancel our plans to have the party outdoors.
▪ shelve a plan (=cancel your plan, although you may do it later)
The plan had to be shelved because of lack of money.
■ phrases
▪ a change of plan
The day before my flight, my boss phoned and said there’d been a change of plan.
■ adjectives
▪ sb’s immediate plans (=what they are going to do next)
So what are your immediate plans after graduation?
▪ the best plan British English (=the best thing to do)
I think the best plan is to take the train.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ verbs
▪ have a plan
Don’t worry – I have a plan.
▪ make plans (=prepare for something)
Mary has been busy making plans for her wedding.
▪ come up with a plan (=think of a plan)
The chairman must come up with a plan to get the club back on its feet.
▪ devise/formulate/draw up a plan (=make a detailed plan, especially after considering something carefully)
He devised a daring plan to steal two million dollars.
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The company has already drawn up plans to develop the site.
▪ carry out a plan (=do what has been planned)
The bombers were arrested by the security forces before they could carry out their plans.
▪ keep to/stick to a plan
We’re sticking to our original plan.
▪ abandon/scrap a plan (=decide not to continue with it)
The plan was scrapped because it was too expensive.
▪ announce/unveil a plan (=officially tell people about it)
The government unveiled its plans for a shake-up of the health system.
▪ approve a plan
The plan was approved at a board meeting on 24 December.
▪ reject a plan
The plan was rejected on the grounds that it would cost too much money.
▪ outline a plan (=describe it in a general way)
They listened as he outlined his plan.
▪ implement a plan formal (=to do what has been agreed as part of an official plan)
To implement its plans, the company has entered into a partnership with another software developer.
▪ shelve a plan (=not continue with it, although you might continue with it later)
The plans will be shelved until an alternative access to the site can be found.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + plan
▪ ambitious
The plan was very ambitious, but it worked.
▪ detailed
The generals drew up detailed plans for the invasion.
▪ cunning/clever/ingenious
They devised a cunning plan to get back their money.
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The gang devised a cunning plan to rob the bank.
▪ a five-year/ten-year etc plan
Unesco has a 25-year plan to provide basic education to all.
▪ a grand plan (=a plan that involves doing a lot of things in order to achieve something big)
Marrying the countess was all part of his grand plan.
▪ a master plan (=a detailed plan for dealing with a complicated situation)
The governors came up with a master plan for saving the school.
▪ a business plan
We’ve developed a business plan to take over the company.
▪ a peace plan
Both sides have agreed to implement the UN peace plan.
▪ a rescue plan (=a plan for saving a company, economy etc)
Which rescue plan offers the company the best prospects of survival?
▪ an action plan
My accountant developed a detailed action plan with specific targets.
■ phrases
▪ go according to plan (=happen in the way that was arranged)
If everything goes according to plan, we’ll finish in January.
▪ a plan of action
Ministers are discussing a plan of action to deal with the crisis.
▪ a plan of attack (=a plan to attack or achieve something)
At this stage, you go back to the office and work on a plan of attack.
▪ a plan of campaign British English (=a plan to achieve something)
What we need now is a plan of campaign.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say ' do a plan '. Say make a plan .
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THESAURUS (for Meaning 2)
▪ plan a set of actions for achieving something in the future, especially a set of actions that has been considered carefully and in detail:
Leaders outlined a plan to end the fighting.
▪ plot/conspiracy a secret plan to do something bad or illegal, made by a group of people:
There was a plot to assassinate the President.
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a terrorist conspiracy
▪ scheme British English an official plan that is intended to help people:
The government has introduced a new scheme to help young people find work.
▪ strategy a carefully designed plan which is intended to achieve a particular purpose over a long period of time:
the company’s business strategy
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The government’s economic strategy has been criticized by many experts.
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We need to develop effective strategies for combating the sale of counterfeit goods.
▪ initiative a new plan for dealing with a particular problem or for achieving a particular aim:
a peace initiative
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a major new initiative to tackle street crime
▪ policy a plan that members of a government, political party, company etc agree on, that states how they intend to deal with a particular subject or problem:
the government’s immigration policy
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It’s company policy to allow people to work from home.
▪ programme British English , program American English a series of activities that a government or organization organizes, which aims to achieve something important and will continue for a long time:
a five-year programme which will create 2000 new jobs
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federal programs for low-income housing
II. plan 2 S1 W1 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle planned , present participle planning )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ plan , ↑ planner , ↑ planning ; verb : ↑ plan ; adjective : planned ≠ ↑ unplanned ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to think carefully about something you want to do, and decide how and when you will do it:
He immediately began planning his escape.
Talks are planned for next week.
The wedding was fine and everything went as planned (=happened the way it had been planned) .
plan to do something
Maria didn’t plan to kill Fiona. It was an accident.
plan ahead/plan for the future
Now that you’re pregnant you’ll have to plan ahead.
2 . [transitive] to intend to do something
plan to do something
He said he planned to write his essay tonight.
plan on doing something
When do you plan on going to Geneva?
The former president is planning a return to politics.
3 . [transitive] to think about something you are going to make, and decide what it will be like SYN design :
Planning a small garden is often difficult.
The system needs to be planned carefully.
plan something ↔ out phrasal verb
to plan something carefully, considering all the possible problems:
I’ll get the maps so we can plan out our route.
⇨ ↑ planning