plan

noun

/plæn/

Idioms

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intention

something that you intend to do or achieve

plan for something Do you have any plans for the summer?
plan to do something There are no plans to build new offices.
Your best plan (= the best thing to do) would be to go by car.
There's been a change of plan.
We can't change our plans now.
She told us about her future plans.
retirement/travel/wedding plans

Synonyms purposepurpose

aim
intention
plan
point
idea

These are all words for talking about what somebody/something intends to do or achieve.

purpose
what something is supposed to achieve; what somebody is trying to achieve:
- Our campaign’s main purpose is to raise money.
aim
what somebody is trying to achieve; what something is supposed to achieve:
- She went to London with the aim of finding a job.
- Our main aim is to increase sales in Europe.

purpose or aim?Your purpose for doing something is your reason for doing it; your aim is what you want to achieve. Aim can suggest that you are only trying to achieve something; purpose gives a stronger sense of achievement being certain. Aim can be somebody’s aim or the aim of something. Purpose is more usually the purpose of something: you can talk about somebody’s purpose but that is more formal.

intention
what you intend to do:
- I have no intention of going to the wedding.
- She’s full of good intentions but they rarely work out.
plan
what you intend to do or achieve:
- There are no plans to build new offices.

intention or plan?Your intentions are what you want to do, especially in the near future; your plans are what you have decided or arranged to do, often, but not always, in the longer term.

point
(rather informal) the purpose or aim of something:
- What’s the point of all this violence?
- The point of the lesson is to compare the two countries.
idea
(rather informal) the purpose of something; somebody’s aim:
- The whole idea of going was so that we could meet her new boyfriend.
- What’s the idea behind this?

point or idea?Point is a more negative word than idea. If you say What’s the point…? you are suggesting that there is no point; if you say What’s the idea…? you are genuinely asking a question. Point, but not idea, is used to talk about things you feel annoyed or unhappy about: There’s no idea in… • I don’t see the idea of…. Patterns

with the purpose/aim/intention/idea of doing something
somebody’s intention/plan to do something
to have a(n) purpose/aim/intention/plan/point
to achieve/fulfil a(n) purpose/aim

Extra Examples

A spokeswoman confirmed there was no definite plan to stage a concert in the park.
Let's stick to our original plan
Plans are afoot to stage a new opera.
The best plan is for me to meet you at the airport.
The strike ruined my travel plans.
I like to make plans well in advance.
What are your immediate plans?
How are your wedding plans coming along?

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

ambitious
audacious
grand
…

verb + plan

have
come up with
create
…

plan + verb

be afoot
be aimed at something
call for something
…

preposition

plan for
plan to

phrases

go to plan
a plan of action
a plan of attack
…

See full entry

arrangement

a set of things to do in order to achieve something, especially one that has been considered in detail in advance

an action plan
a plan of action
a development/management plan
a five-point plan
a three-year plan
These ambitious plans were continually revised.
The company has developed a five-year strategic plan.
plan for something We need to make plans for the future.
plan for doing something Both sides agreed to a detailed plan for keeping the peace.
contingency plans for dealing with an epidemic
plan to do something The government has announced plans to create one million new training places.
to develop/devise a plan
to unveil/outline a plan
to implement a plan
to stick to/change a plan
according to plan Let's hope everything will go according to plan.
under a plan Under this plan, 98% of all Americans will get a tax cut.

see also business plan, game plan, master plan

Extra Examples

A new plan for reducing traffic accidents was unveiled.
Do you have any contingency plans if the scheme doesn't work?
Do you have any contingency plans if there is a delay?
Even the best-laid plans can go wrong.
Local residents have vowed to fight plans to build a new road.
Plans to build a dam have been shelved following protests.
The airline intends to file a reorganization plan within three months.
The government has ambitious plans for prison reform.
The government launched a five-year plan aimed at diversifying the economy.
The moves contravene the peace plan agreed by both sides.
The plan calls for investments totalling $100 million.
The plan calls for massive investment in the region.
The plan contains four main elements.
The president will now press ahead with his plans for reform.
To change anything in this organization, we'll need a plan of action.
We need to develop a sound business plan.
a three-point action plan to improve hygiene at work
Senators signed a letter opposing the plan.
Senior officials put forward a three-year plan.
The corporation is pressing ahead with plans to build a new power station.
The peace plan was agreed at an international summit meeting.
The plan will be put into action within the next three months.
They are working on an economic development plan.
You will need a clear and realistic business plan.
a plan of campaign
a six-week low-fat eating plan

Topics Businessa1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

ambitious
audacious
grand
…

verb + plan

have
come up with
create
…

plan + verb

be afoot
be aimed at something
call for something
…

preposition

plan for
plan to

phrases

go to plan
a plan of action
a plan of attack
…

See full entry

map

a detailed map of a building, town, etc.

Do you have a plan of the museum?
We asked for street plan of the city.

Extra Examples

The main markets were clearly marked on the plan.
The plan shows the exact location of the house.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

street
town
seating
…

verb + plan

draw
file

plan + verb

show something

See full entry

drawing

[usually plural] (specialist) a detailed drawing of a machine, building, etc. that shows its size, shape and measurements

The original plans of the building have not survived.
plan for something The architect is drawing up plans for the new offices.
Plans for our extension have been submitted for approval.
A final version of the plans and specifications has been produced.

compare elevation (4), ground plan

Extra Examples

She drew some plans and elevations of the church's structure.
The plan shows where all the electrical points will go.
The plans were made some time ago, but work on the building has not yet started.
He produced a plan of the house.
Enemy spies stole the plans for the new aircraft.
Site plans were filed with the city this week.

Topics Buildingsb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

street
town
seating
…

verb + plan

draw
file

plan + verb

show something

See full entry

a diagram that shows how something will be arranged

a seating plan (= showing where each person will sit, for example at a dinner)
a floor plan (= showing how furniture is arranged)

money

(especially in compounds) a way of investing money for the future or buying insurance for something

a savings plan
a health plan

plan

verb

/plæn/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they plan	/plæn/ /plæn/
he / she / it plans	/plænz/ /plænz/
past simple planned	/plænd/ /plænd/
past participle planned	/plænd/ /plænd/
-ing form planning	/ˈplænɪŋ/ /ˈplænɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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make arrangements

[transitive, intransitive] to make detailed arrangements for something you want to do in the future

plan something to plan a trip
to plan a wedding/holiday/party
The men were planning a terror attack.
We planned the day down to the last detail.
Everything went exactly as planned.
The whole event had been carefully/meticulously planned.
plan something for something A meeting has been planned for early next year.
plan for something It's never too early to start planning for the future.
plan how, what, etc… I've been planning how I'm going to spend the day.
plan that… They planned that the two routes would connect.
plan ahead You can avoid a lot of stress by planning ahead.
A well-planned advertising campaign is necessary to bring in visitors.

Extra Examples

Everything has been planned down to the last detail.
The government had originally planned to launch the review in June.
We must plan for the future.
You will need to plan your shopping carefully in advance.
He never really planned for the future.
His future had been planned down to the last detail.
I've been planning how I'm going to spend my last week here.
It had been planned that the winners would get a free vacation.
It took six months to plan the expedition.
It's always a good idea to plan ahead.
centrally planned economies

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

ahead
in advance
initially
…

verb + plan

have to
need to

preposition

phrases

be all planned out
have something all planned out
go as planned
…

See full entry

intend/expect

[intransitive, transitive] to intend or expect to do something

plan on doing something We hadn't planned on going anywhere this evening.
plan to do something She originally planned to be a doctor.
plan something We're planning a trip to France in the spring—are you interested?

Extra Examples

I had planned on staying here for two or three years.
Both men plan to appeal against the ruling.
If you're planning a family, you may be thinking about a bigger home.
They plan to arrive some time after three.

design

[transitive] plan something to make a design or an outline for something

to plan an essay/a garden
The architects planned and designed the building with students in mind.

Extra Examples

This is the place to visit if you are planning a new garden.
You should always plan your essay before you start writing it.
It's vital to plan your kitchen well.

Word Originlate 17th cent.: from French, from earlier plant ‘ground plan, plane surface’, influenced in sense by Italian pianta ‘plan of building’. Compare with plant.