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project

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun project contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of project are design, plan, plot, and scheme. While all these words mean "a method devised for making or doing something or achieving an end," project often stresses imaginative scope and vision.

a project to develop the waterfront

When would design be a good substitute for project?

Although the words design and project have much in common, design often suggests a particular pattern and some degree of achieved order or harmony.

a design for a new dress

In what contexts can plan take the place of project?

The synonyms plan and project are sometimes interchangeable, but plan always implies mental formulation and sometimes graphic representation.

plans for a house

When is plot a more appropriate choice than project?

The words plot and project are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, plot implies a laying out in clearly distinguished sections with attention to their relations and proportions.

the plot of the play

When might scheme be a better fit than project?

In some situations, the words scheme and project are roughly equivalent. However, scheme stresses calculation of the end in view and may apply to a plan motivated by craftiness and self-interest.

a scheme to defraud the government

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 project
Noun
Beyond: Two Souls joins Pageboy Productions’ slate of upcoming projects. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2025 By Belinda Luscombe January 29, 2025 3:08 PM EST On Friday, Jan. 24, a Trump Administration funding freeze on most of the U.S.'s foreign aid projects went into effect. Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
The scientists warned that the likelihood of dangerously fire-prone conditions will increase by another 35 percent if global warming reaches 4.7° Fahrenheit (2.6° Celsius), as projected by 2100. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2025 The beauty and personal care products market (which includes skin, hair, mouth, shower and bath, cosmetics, and fragrance products) in the US amounted to more than $100 billion in 2024, and it’s projected to keep growing. Andrea Kane, CNN, 29 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for project 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for project
Noun
  • Red tape, budget shortfalls and government inaction repeatedly stymied plans for water system improvements — including some that specifically cited the need to boost firefighting capacity.
    Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The Trump administration's plan includes leveraging the Justice Department and other agencies to probe private companies pursuing training and hiring practices that conservative critics consider discriminatory against people who do not belong to minority groups, such as white men.
    CBS News, CBS News, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Even in the second decade of the twenty-first century, that pesky, protruding, uncontrollable external organ is still not ready for general public viewing.
    Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025
  • The video also showed shirtless, emaciated-looking men with protruding bones and ribs.
    Nimi Princewill, CNN, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Prior to the Queen’s death, Kelly received permission to write a book about her experiences designing and creating the monarch’s wardrobe in the later decades of her life.
    Allie Merriam, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2025
  • From fashionable fleecy bucket hats to beanies designed especially for athletic pursuits, discover our favorite winter hats for all cold-weather travelers.
    Jessica Macdonald, Travel + Leisure, 30 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • That blueprint became the bedrock for the medical drama’s sets even as Wells and the writing team were beginning to work out the storylines that would pulse and careen across the pristine hospital floors.
    Mark Peikert, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025
  • That blueprint also declared several Chilean sites as renewable energy hubs; the complex would be located within one of them.
    Katherine Helen Laliotis, Scientific American, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Timothée Chalamet playfully poked fun at himself during his Saturday Night Live monologue on Jan. 25.
    Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2025
  • What to Expect Laser treatments are relatively quick, outpatient procedures that cause minimal pain; some people feel poking or burning sensations.
    Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 23 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • In October, the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers changed uniform colors to prepare for high temperatures at Levi’s Stadium.
    Sam Joseph, The Athletic, 30 Jan. 2025
  • Travis and Jason Kelce have tackled a lot in their careers, but nothing prepared them for the deep, mysterious world of Swiftie slang.
    Maggie Ekberg, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Self-care strategies can include regular exercise, a joint-friendly diet, and assistive devices.
    Lindsay Curtis, Health, 26 Jan. 2025
  • But look, this is an intentional strategy on the part of Trump's inner circle.
    ABC News, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The 2009–2010 flu season—when the novel H1N1 (aka swine flu) emerged—stands out for hitting a decades' high of 7.7 very early in the season (week 42).
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 4 Feb. 2025
  • What stood out to Rainen was that the military’s Black Hawk helicopter was at the altitude of American Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita.
    Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near project

Cite this Entry

“Project.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/project. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on project

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