Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense designs, present participle designing, past tense, past participle designed
1. verb
When someone designs a garment, building, machine, or other object, they plan it and make a detailed drawing of it from which it can be built or made.
They wanted to design a machine that was both attractive and practical. [VERB noun]
...men wearing specially designed boots. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: plan, describe, draw, draft More Synonyms of design
2. verb
When someone designs a survey, policy, or system, they plan and prepare it, and decide on all the details of it.
We may be able to design a course to suit your particular needs. [VERB noun]
Computer security systems will be designed by independent technicians. [VERB noun]
A number of very well designed studies have been undertaken. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: create, make, plan, project More Synonyms of design
3. uncountable noun
Design is the process and art of planning and making detailed drawings of something.
He was a born mechanic with a flair for design.
Most mobile robots are still in the design stage.
She came to London in 1960 to study fashion design.
4. uncountable noun
The design of something is the way in which it has been planned and made.
These machines are constantly updated by improving the design of the computers.
...a new design of clock.
The shoes were of good design and good quality.
BMW is recalling 8,000 cars because of a design fault.
5. countable noun
A design is a drawing which someone produces to show how they would like something to be built or made.
They drew up the design for the house in a week. [+ for]
Synonyms: plan, drawing, model, scheme More Synonyms of design
6. countable noun
A design is a pattern of lines, flowers, or shapes which is used to decorate something.
Their range of tableware is decorated with a blackberry design.
Many pictures have been based on simple geometric designs.
Synonyms: pattern, form, figure, style More Synonyms of design
7. countable noun
A design is a general plan or intention that someone has in their mind when they are doingsomething.
Is there some design in having him in the middle?
His grand design of unifying the country was a battle against overwhelming odds.
Synonyms: intention, end, point, aim More Synonyms of design
8. passive verb
If something is designed for a particular purpose, it is intended for that purpose.
This project is designed to help landless people. [beVERB-ed to-infinitive]
It's not designed for anyone under age eighteen. [beVERB-ed + for]
9.
See by design
10.
See have designs on sth
More Synonyms of design
design in British English
(dɪˈzaɪn)
verb
1.
to work out the structure or form of (something), as by making a sketch, outline, pattern, or plans
2.
to plan and make (something) artistically or skilfully
3. (transitive)
to form or conceive in the mind; invent
4. (transitive)
to intend, as for a specific purpose; plan
5. (transitive) obsolete
to mark out or designate
noun
6.
a plan, sketch, or preliminary drawing
7.
the arrangement or pattern of elements or features of an artistic or decorative work
the design of the desk is modern
8.
a finished artistic or decorative creation
9.
the art of designing
10.
a plan, scheme, or project
11.
an end aimed at or planned for; intention; purpose
12. (often plural; often foll by on or against)
a plot or hostile scheme, often to gain possession of (something) by illegitimate means
13.
a coherent or purposeful pattern, as opposed to chaos
God's design
14. argument from design
Derived forms
designable (deˈsignable)
adjective
Word origin
C16: from Latin dēsignāre to mark out, describe, from de- + signāre to mark, from signum a mark, sign
design in American English
(dɪˈzaɪn)
verb transitive
1.
to make preliminary sketches of; sketch a pattern or outline for; plan
2.
to plan and carry out, esp. by artistic arrangement or in a skillful way
3.
to form (plans, etc.) in the mind; contrive
4.
to plan to do; purpose; intend
5.
to intend or set apart for some purpose
verb intransitive
6.
to make designs
7.
to make original plans, sketches, patterns, etc.; work as a designer
noun
8.
a plan; scheme; project
9.
purpose; intention; aim
10.
a thing planned for or outcome aimed at
11.
development according to a plan
to find a design in history
12. [pl.]
a secret, usually dishonest or selfish scheme
, often with on or upon
to have designs on another's property
13.
a plan or sketch to work from; pattern
a design for a house
14.
the art of making designs or patterns
15.
the arrangement of parts, details, form, color, etc. so as to produce an artistic unit; artistic invention
the design of a rug
16.
a finished artistic work or decoration
SIMILAR WORDS: inˈtend, plan
Idioms:
by design
Word origin
ME designen < L designare, to mark out, define < de-, out, from + signare, to mark < signum, a mark, UNRESOLVED CROSS REF
Examples of 'design' in a sentence
design
They should have high quality and good design hardwired in from the outset.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The loophole is designed to help entice top business people to serve in government.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Nature has designed it to be distinct.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Once we decided to make the shirt we researched designs and patterns.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But reminding them of their folly is not designed to make friends.
The Sun (2016)
You can talk about fashion in interior design with a reasonably straight face now.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It's the same story if you want to go into art and design.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Be that reaction good or bad, people want designs they can talk about.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There aren't many jobs in which you have to do all those things and wrestle cash out of design houses.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The muscles were exclusively for display purposes and were designed to invite conversation and, obviously, contact.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Detailed designs were requested by the end of the year.
Brindley,Tim & Rydin, Yvonne & Stoker, Gerry Remaking Planning: the politics of urban change in the Thatcher years (1989)
Ideas flow fast and a story you write or fashion you design can be a life changer.
The Sun (2013)
The laurels usually go to the spatial designers who often design the planting detail as well.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
They are designed for people who have.
Churchill, Jane (ed.) Collins Complete Books of Soft Furnishings (1993)
You need facts to design a house.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The plan is designed to give incentives to businesses and second home owners.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The book is designed to help you find the rose of your choice.
The Sun (2008)
The pieces are so sharply designed that they make the average home look a mess.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
This machine is clearly designed to be driven fast around a racetrack.
The Sun (2014)
Habitat is bringing it back to the high street with dramatic new designs for spring.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The layout and design of new schemes will be determined by the profit imperative.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We get one good design and then we are scared to change it.
The Sun (2010)
What he loves is the current vibrancy and democratic nature of interior design.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Many supplements designed to support female health are likely to be safe and beneficial.
Colette Harris, With Theresa Cheung PCOS DIET BOOK: How you can use the nutritional approach to deal with polycysticovary syndrome (2002)
They have all been designed for different purposes.
Chapman, C. & Horsley, M. & Small, E. Technology Basic Facts (1990)
There is also a focus on environmentally friendly building design.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The lack of an external fertility indicator is a serious design fault in humans.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Its simple yet elegant design will age well and goes from day to night.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We are working right now on a project to design a new kind of bottle.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It was a dull family hatch with no distinct design flair.
The Sun (2012)
Centre any pattern or fabric design.
Churchill, Jane (ed.) Collins Complete Books of Soft Furnishings (1993)
The GCSEs he had in art and design and technology came in useful.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Artists and geometry In the history of painting many pictures have been based on simple geometric designs.
Improve Your Landscape Painting
In other languages
design
British English: design /dɪˈzaɪn/ NOUN
Design is the process and art of planning and making detailed drawings of something.
He was a born mechanic with a flair for design.
American English: design
Arabic: تَصْمِيم
Brazilian Portuguese: design
Chinese: 设计
Croatian: dizajniranje
Czech: projektování
Danish: design
Dutch: ontwerp
European Spanish: diseño
Finnish: suunnitelma
French: création
German: Entwurf
Greek: σχέδιο
Italian: disegno
Japanese: デザイン
Korean: 디자인
Norwegian: design
Polish: projekt szkic
European Portuguese: design
Romanian: proiect
Russian: дизайн
Latin American Spanish: diseño
Swedish: utformning
Thai: การออกแบบ
Turkish: tasarım
Ukrainian: дизайн
Vietnamese: nghệ thuật thiết kế
British English: design /dɪˈzaɪn/ VERB
When someone designs a garment, building, machine, or other object, they plan it and make a detailed drawing of it from which it can be built or made.
They wanted to design a machine that was both attractive and practical.
American English: design
Arabic: يُصِمِّمُ
Brazilian Portuguese: projetar
Chinese: 设计
Croatian: osmisliti
Czech: navrhnout
Danish: designe
Dutch: ontwerpen
European Spanish: diseñar
Finnish: suunnitella
French: créer
German: entwerfen
Greek: σχεδιάζω
Italian: progettare
Japanese: デザインする
Korean: 디자인하다
Norwegian: formgi
Polish: zaprojektować
European Portuguese: projectar
Romanian: a proiecta
Russian: разрабатывать
Latin American Spanish: diseñar
Swedish: utforma
Thai: ออกแบบ
Turkish: tasarlamak
Ukrainian: проектувати
Vietnamese: thiết kế
All related terms of 'design'
by design
If something happens or is done by design , someone does it deliberately, rather than by accident .
deep design
a design process used in architecture , town planning, engineering , interior design, etc, the goal of which is to appeal not only to the thoughts and feelings of the conscious mind but also the visual imagery of the unconscious , while also aiming for sustainability
design idea
An idea is a plan, suggestion , or possible course of action.
page design
the way a page is organized and presented
web design
the planning and creation of websites
well design
Well design is the features that are considered when planning and constructing a well.
design flair
If you have flair , you do things in an original, interesting, and stylish way.
design studio
A studio is a room where a painter , photographer , or designer works.
scenic design
the creation of scenery for television , film and stage
fashion design
the activity of designing fashionable clothes
graphic design
Graphic design is the art of designing advertisements, magazines, and books by combining pictures and words.
interior design
Interior design is the art or profession of designing the decoration for the inside of a house .
industrial design
the art or practice of designing any object for manufacture
intelligent design
a theory that rejects the theory of natural selection , arguing that the complexities of the universe and of all life suggest an intelligent cause in the form of a supreme creator
environmental design
the ordering of the large-scale aspects of the environment by means of architecture , engineering , landscape architecture, urban planning, regional planning, etc., usually in combination
limit-state design
a design criterion specifying that with acceptable probabilities a structure will not reach a limit state in which it either is unfit for the use for which it was designed ( unavailability limit state) or fails ( ultimate limit state)
argument from design
→ another name for teleological argument
computer-aided design
the use of computer techniques in designing products, esp involving the use of computer graphics
matched-pairs design
(of an experiment ) concerned with measuring the values of the dependent variables for pairs of subjects that have been matched to eliminate individual differences and that are respectively subjected to the control and the experimental condition
between-subjects design
(of an experiment ) concerned with measuring the value of the dependent variable for distinct and unrelated groups subjected to each of the experimental conditions
earthquake-proof design
Earthquake-proof design is design which will not be badly damaged by earthquakes or tsunamis .
inherently safer design
Inherently safer design is when a lot of consideration is given to safety when designing a process.
within-subjects design
(of an experiment ) concerned with measuring the value of the dependent variable for the same subjects under the various experimental conditions
graphic design department
a group of people in a company who work in graphic design
front-end engineering design
Front-end engineering design is early and basic design, to accurately discover what resources will be needed .
CAD system
A CAD system is a computer system for designing parts or products before they are manufactured .