plan (plans plural & 3rd person present) (planning present participle) (planned past tense & past participle )
1 n-count A plan is a method of achieving something that you have worked out in detail beforehand.
usu with supp, also according to N
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.
2 verb 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... V wh
He planned to leave Baghdad on Monday... V to-inf
It would be difficult for schools to plan for the future... V for n
I had been planning a trip to the West Coast... V n
A planned demonstration has been called off by its organisers. V-ed
3 n-plural If you have plans, you are intending to do a particular thing.
usu with supp, oft N for n/-ing, N to-inf
`I'm sorry,' she said. `I have plans for tonight.'
4 verb 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. V n
5 n-count A planof something that is going to be built or made is a detailed diagram or drawing of it.
oft N of/for n
...when you have drawn a plan of the garden.
6 →
planning plan on phrasal verb If you plan on doing something, you intend to do it. They were planning on getting married... V P -ing/n
business plan (business plans plural )A business plan is a detailed plan for setting up or developing a business, especially one that is written in order to borrow money. n-count
She learned how to write a business plan for the catering business she wanted to launch.
game plan (game plans plural ), game-plan
1 n-count In sport, a team's game plan is their plan for winning a match.
usu poss N
Leeds kept quiet, stuck to their game plan and quietly racked up the points.
2 n-count Someone's game plan is the actions they intend to take and the policies they intend to adopt in order to achieve a particular thing.
oft poss N
If he has a game plan for winning the deal, only he understands it..., He is unlikely to alter his game plan.
ground plan (ground plans plural )
1 n-count In British English, a ground plan is a plan of the ground floor of a building. In American English, a ground plan is a plan of any floor of a building.
2 n-count A ground plan is a basic plan for future action.
installment plan (installment plans plural )An installment plan is a way of buying goods gradually. You make regular payments to the seller until, after some time, you have paid the full price and the goods belong to you.
(AM) n-count
in BRIT, use hire purchase
master plan (master plans plural )A master plan is a clever plan that is intended to help someone succeed in a very difficult or important task. n-count
...the master plan for the reform of the economy.
open-plan
An open-plan building, office, or room has no internal walls dividing it into smaller areas. adj
The firm's top managers share the same open-plan office.
pension plan (pension plans plural )A pension plan is an arrangement to receive a pension from an organization such as an insurance company or a former employer in return for making regular payments to them over a number of years. (BUSINESS) n-count
I would have been much wiser to start my own pension plan when I was younger.
