scheme
Pluralschemes
Verbschemes, scheming, schemed
Pluralschemes
Formsschemes, scheming, schemed
- 1A secret plan to do something sneaky or dishonest.
The boys had a scheme to sneak into the movie without paying.
The police found out about a scheme to steal money from the bank.
UsageOften a scheme to do something: a scheme to steal money.
Similarconspiracy, intrigue, machination
- 2A careful, well-organized plan for what will be done in the future.
The school started a scheme to help children read more at home.
Our scheme for saving money is to put away ten dollars every week.
UsageIt can sound sneaky; for your own plans, say plan.
Similarplan, project, design, proposal, blueprint
Note
- 3The orderly way that connected parts are put together.
We picked a simple blue and white color scheme for the kitchen.
The library sorts its books using a scheme of numbers and letters.
UsageOften color scheme or in the grand scheme of things (when you look at the whole picture).
Similarpattern, arrangement, system, structure
Note
- 4To make secret plans, often to get something in a dishonest way.
The twins schemed to stay up late and watch the game.
Why do you always scheme to get out of washing the dishes?
UsageSay scheme to do something or scheme against someone.
Note
Less common meanings
- 5
- 6A plan that people or their employers pay into while they work, so that they get money after they retire.
Mum pays a bit of her wages into a pension scheme every month.
Workers at the factory can join the pension scheme after three months.
UsageUsually pension scheme: people join it and pay into it.
Similarplan
Note
- 7
- 8A clever way of putting words in an unusual order.
The writer uses a scheme where every line starts with the same word.
Our teacher showed us a scheme that flips the usual word order.
Note
- 9The part of an internet address, like http or news, that shows what kind of address it is.
- 10In astrology, a chart that shows where the sun, moon, and planets were at one moment, such as a birth.
a blue case, from which was drawn a scheme of nativity
1815, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering - 11In advanced math, a kind of space that extends the idea of shapes made by equations.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From a Latin word meaning “figure, form,” which came from a Greek word meaning “form, shape.”
Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Scheme comes from Latin schēma, meaning “figure, form.” en.wiktionary.org
- The Latin word came from Greek σχῆμα, meaning “form, shape.” en.wiktionary.org