plots

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of plot.

   The developer sold off the remaining building plots last spring.

   Detectives uncovered two separate plots to rob the same bank.

   Note

   One spelling gathers every countable plot: garden and building plots, the plots of novels, plots against a government, and the graphs a device draws. A grave is a plot too, which is why families speak of their burial plots. The regular -s never changes, so context alone tells the reader which is meant. The same letters also serve the present-tense verb, as in she plots her revenge.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of plot.

   A cartographer plots each coordinate on the nautical chart by hand.

   The rebel faction plots in secret against the ruling council.

   Note

   The scheming verb works with or without an object. A faction plots a coup, or it simply plots, often plotting against someone. The charting senses always need an object: an analyst plots the data, and a navigator plots each position on a chart. Only he, she, it or a singular noun takes this -s form. The bare plot serves every other subject.

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