Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

scheme

Pronunciation: /skiːm/

Translate scheme | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of scheme

noun

  • 1a large-scale systematic plan or arrangement for attaining some particular object or putting a particular idea into effect:the occupational sick pay scheme
  • a secret or underhand plan; a plot:police uncovered a scheme to steal paintings worth more than $250,000
  • a particular ordered system or arrangement:a classical rhyme scheme
  • 2Scottish informal an estate of social housing:the whole scheme is plunged into darkness, bar the light in Victor’s house Sheila and me were in that gang on the scheme

verb

  • 1 [no object] make plans, especially in a devious way or with intent to do something illegal or wrong: [with infinitive]:he schemed to bring about the collapse of the government
  • South African informal think; suppose: [with clause]:I scheme it could work
  • 2 [with object] arrange according to a colour scheme: she was busy arranging flowers, scheming the candles and napkins

Phrases

the scheme of things

a supposed or apparent overall system, within which everything has a place and in relation to which individual details are ultimately to be assessed:in the overall scheme of things, we didn’t do badly

Origin:

mid 16th century (denoting a figure of speech): from Latin schema, from Greek (see schema). An early sense was 'diagram of the position of celestial objects', giving rise to 'diagram, outline', whence the current senses. The unfavourable notion ‘plot’ arose in the mid 18th century

scheme in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of scheme in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

Word of the day

secretagogue

/ sɪˈkriːtəgɒg /
noun
a substance which promotes secretion …