plans 1 of 2

noun

plural of plan
1
as in strategies
a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective there is a contingency plan in the office for handling almost any emergency

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in goals
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish our plan is to finish up by next Friday

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

plans

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of plan
1
as in designs
to work out the details of (something) in advance we planned the school dance down to the smallest detail

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in intends
to have in mind as a purpose or goal I plan to have a party for my birthday, even if I have to throw it myself

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of plans
Noun
In December, Australia became the first country to ban social media for kids under 16, and countries including Brazil, Canada, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Indonesia have since enacted or approved similar plans. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 Several Kansas City community leaders are calling for residents to have a meaningful role in selecting the city’s next police chief, weeks after Stacey Graves announced plans to retire next year. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026 Atrium Health said the plans include outpatient and specialty services designed to give patients alternatives to relying on emergency departments for routine care. — Jamal Goss, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026 The previous plans covered the cost for eight visits per individual but then required players to pay a portion of the costs for visits that exceeded the limit. — Mike Jones, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The university’s master plan also outlines plans to include over 25 new buildings including dorms, sport facilities, parking lots and classrooms. — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2026 Other grocery store chains such as Grocery Outlet and Kroger have announced plans to shutter California stores. — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Later, the Moon opposes Uranus in your 5th House of Creativity and Play, bringing a spontaneous idea, romantic spark, or change in personal plans. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2026 He and wife Catherine have also been informed of Harry and Meghan’s plans. — Max Foster, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Verb
But the company eventually plans to open-source the standard, which means any device manufacturer in any industry will be able to adopt it. — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 Heat limits chip performance The aerospace and defense firm plans to integrate diamond directly into advanced semiconductor devices. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026 Reddy plans to enroll in University of Georgia this fall on a pre-med track with ambitions to pursue a career in obstetrics and gynecology, according to local station WALB-TV. — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Fifield plans to relocate some of the trees on the property, including the large oak tree in Crystal Academy’s existing playground that Bolton and other residents want to save. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 Buffalo Grove, which also uses joint purchasing through Lake County, plans to purchase salt from other sources to cover its need. — Steve Zalusky, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026 App updates can’t erase the underlying challenges presented by rising digital competition for both rights and eyeballs, but ESPN’s platform evolution says plenty about how the company plans to win future fan attention. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 20 Aug. 2026 On Thursday during the earnings call, analysts wanted more details on how exactly the company, which holds a multitude of fragrance licenses including Hugo Boss, Burberry, Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein, plans to achieve that goal. — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2026 After nearly 50 years, The Book Rack plans to close its doors next month. — Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plans
  1. strategies
  2. goals
  3. designs
  4. intends
  5. blueprints
  6. purposes
  7. prepares
  8. hopes
Noun
  • Roughly 30% of the ballots cast in the 2024 general election were submitted by mail, and Democrats have increasingly pursued vote-by-mail strategies, in contrast with Republicans.
    — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The program for children at risk of violence provided mentorship, summer camps, job training, and nonpolice strategies such as neighborhood beautification projects and community center programs.
    — Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of strategies
Noun
  • The Sun conjoins Mercury in Virgo and your 10th House of Career, Reputation, Authority, and Public Life, helping your goals become easier to explain.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Sanchez also had a pair of goals in the Courage’s 2-1 victory over the Boston Legacy on Saturday.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of goals
Verb
  • Samba has ties to the Brazilian Carnival tradition, so Anna picks out a floral fabric and designs a skirt with feather-style panels that will move around with the dancer.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Katie Becker, chief creative officer of Arc’teryx, said the brand designs products to perform for the long term.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of designs
Verb
  • The campaign intends to hire a Jewish liaison and is in the midst of an interview process for the role, which includes talking with Jewish community leaders, a person familiar with the campaign told JTA.
    — Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Sebastian Kim, head of the content business Unit at CJ ENM, said the series had opened a door the company intends to keep pushing through.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of intends
Noun
  • British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is handing Ukraine the blueprints to a valuable piece of his country’s military technology, thumbing his nose at a Kremlin that says the United Kingdom is now a party in the conflict.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Forward-looking brands and retailers are drawing up blueprints for the next demographic frontier — the tiniest tots born between 2025 and 2039.
    — Faye Brookman, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of blueprints
Noun
  • Anthropic wanted assurance that its technology would not be used for fully autonomous weapons or domestic mass surveillance, and the DOD wanted Anthropic to grant the agency unfettered access to Claude across all lawful purposes.
    — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Governments generally don’t need a model that’s as powerful as what’s on the frontier to automate a few tasks; Ting explains that a tiny model, even one with as few as 1 billion parameters, can suit those purposes.
    — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of purposes
Verb
  • The curriculum prepares students for future education and careers in creative industries, requiring them to analyze, design and render complex graphics, package design, typography, layouts, corporate brand identities and web interfaces.
    — Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Her arrival comes as Dion prepares for her most substantial return to live performance since health issues forced her to stop touring.
    — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of prepares
Verb
  • Looking back, Ayaub hopes others take away a message of hope.
    — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
  • Fraser hopes against hope that this whole debacle will increase their tip, however meagerly.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
Definition of hopes

Browse Nearby Words

planning
plans
plant
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Cite this Entry

“Plans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plans. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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