What does “scheme” mean?
- 1
nouna clever, often dishonest plan to get something
He lost his savings in a get-rich-quick scheme.
- 2
nounan official plan or system, mainly in British English
The city introduced a bike-sharing scheme.
- 3
verbto make secret plans to do something bad
They were scheming to take over the company.
Scheme at a glance
- Part of speech
- noun & verb
- CEFR level
- C1 (advanced)
- Pronunciation
- /skim/ · SKEEM
How to use “scheme” correctly
In US English “scheme” usually sounds negative; in UK English it often just means an official plan.
Common phrases with “scheme”
- a get-rich-quick scheme
- color scheme
- in the grand scheme of things
- pension scheme
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- schemer
- scheming
“scheme” is on these word lists
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