design

verb de·sign \ di-ˈzīn \

Updated on: 7 Dec 2017

Definition of design

transitive verb

1 : to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan : devise, contrive

design a system for tracking inventory

2 a : to conceive and plan out in the mind

he designed the perfect crime

b : to have as a purpose : intend

she designed to excel in her studies

c : to devise for a specific function or end

a book designed primarily as a college textbook

a suitcase designed to hold a laptop computer

3 archaic : to indicate with a distinctive mark, sign, or name

4 a : to make a drawing, pattern, or sketch of

… a curious woman whose dresses always looked as if they had been designed in a rage …
—Oscar Wilde

b : to draw the plans for

design a building

designing a new bike

intransitive verb

1 : to conceive or execute a plan

2 : to draw, lay out, or prepare a design

was trained to design for homes and offices

—

designedly

play \-ˈzī-nəd-lē\ adverb

See design defined for English-language learners

See design defined for kids

Examples of design in a Sentence

A team of engineers designed the new engine.
Who designed the book's cover?
He designed the chair to adjust automatically.
They thought they could design the perfect crime.
design a strategy for battle

Recent Examples of design from the Web

The two theories aren’t mutually exclusive; Sean Raymond, one of the theorists behind the Grand Tack, says it was designed to work with the Nice model.

— nola taylor redd, Discover Magazine, "Pluto and Ceres: Long Lost Twins?," 10 Nov. 2017
Other investors include Demis Hassabis, co-founder of Google’s DeepMind, and Zoubin Ghahramani, the chief scientist at Uber Technologies Inc. Graphcore’s is designing a chip specifically tailored to machine learning.

— giles turner, Bloomberg.com, "Sequoia Capital Is Said to Back U.K. Chip Startup Graphcore," 3 Nov. 2017
Jack Helean, a graphic design student living in Huntsville, saw the #GOP4Jones hashtag earlier this month and designed a logo for it on a whim.

— anna claire vollers, AL.com, "#GOP4Jones links Republicans breaking ranks over Roy Moore," 2 Nov. 2017
The solar developer — Onyx Renewables, LLC — is responsible to design, construct (and) maintain this project.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Rancho Bernardo, "Solar panel project underway in Rancho Bernardo Community Park," 1 Nov. 2017
The future of fashion lies there—in the actual nuts and bolts of designing garments.

— alexander fury, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Future of Fashion," 30 Oct. 2017
Harty took it further in designing a football helmet to include the cooling element.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: The answer to diminishing football head injuries could lie inside this helmet," 28 Oct. 2017
Although automakers are designing their SUVs for millennials and young families, the price tag for the eight-passenger Expedition, with WiFi and a rear video display, starts at $52,000.

— grace schneider, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky Truck Plant launches production of new 2018 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator," 27 Oct. 2017
Some were shocked last week when Brad Parscale, the Trump campaign’s digital media strategist, boasted on 60 Minutes that Facebook employees had worked out of the Trump campaign offices, helping staffers design better ads.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Silicon Valley’s Tech Gods Are Headed for a Reckoning," 19 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'design.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of design

Middle English, to outline, indicate, mean, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French designer to designate, from Medieval Latin designare, from Latin, to mark out, from de- + signare to mark — more at sign

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

design Synonyms

Synonyms

aim, allow [chiefly Southern & Midland], aspire, calculate, contemplate, intend, go [chiefly Southern & Midland], look, mean, meditate, plan, propose, purport, purpose

Related Words

dream, hope, wish; consider, debate, mull (over), ponder; attempt, endeavor, strive, struggle, try; plot, scheme; accomplish, achieve, effect, execute, perform

design

noun

Definition of design

1 a : a particular purpose or intention held in view by an individual or group

He has ambitious designs for his son.

b : deliberate purposive planning

more by accident than design

2 : a mental project or scheme in which means to an end are laid down

was never part of my design

3 a : a deliberate undercover project or scheme : plot

a declaration of a design upon his life
—John Locke

b designs plural : aggressive or evil intent —used with on or against

he has designs on the money

4 : a preliminary sketch or outline showing the main features of something to be executed

the design for the new stadium

5 a : an underlying scheme that governs functioning, developing, or unfolding : pattern, motif

the general design of the epic

b : a plan or protocol for carrying out or accomplishing something (such as a scientific experiment); also : the process of preparing this

6 : the arrangement of elements or details in a product or work of art

… his sense of structure, both in the general design of Paradise Lost and Samson, and in his syntax …
—T. S. Eliot

7 : a decorative pattern

a floral design

8 : the creative art of executing aesthetic or functional designs

studied design in college

See design defined for English-language learners

Examples of design in a Sentence

There are problems with the design of the airplane's landing gear.
I like the design of the textbook.
I love the sculpture's design.
The machine had a flawed design.
the design and development of new products
Correcting mistakes is part of the design process.
a number of design concepts

Recent Examples of design from the Web

According to a site plan prepared by the Miami Beach Planning Department, a potential design would call for an 800-room building, 12-stories high, or 145 feet.

— chabeli herrera, miamiherald, "Miami Beach takes up new plan for convention center hotel | Miami Herald," 31 Oct. 2017
The jet analogy continues inside to the dashboard vents that also have a turbine design.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Mercedes-Benz E400 Coupe: a charmed life," 27 Oct. 2017
With a simple, clean design along with a two-tone color scheme and glass/rubber material accents, this thing looks damn picturesque when sitting on your desk.

— darren orf, Popular Mechanics, "Google's Pixelbook Is Great, But Not $1,000 Great," 26 Oct. 2017
Fornasetti’s earthy cedarwood and lavender fragrance, has a cheekier design.

— ashley weatherford, The Cut, "Which Expensive Beauty Products Are Actually Worth Your Money?," 26 Oct. 2017
Calder would take a break from sculptures and mobiles to craft a silver milk skimmer with a spiderweb design or an ebony toilet paper holder shaped like a hand.

— jennie yabroff, Town & Country, "Inside Alexander Calder's New England Home," 20 Oct. 2017
The 1970s have never looked so beautifully tacky with psychedelic fabric designs, ostentatious fashions, and ridiculously crafted architecture.

— paige s. allen, Harper's BAZAAR, "Mindhunter Explores the Chilling Origin of the Modern American Serial Killer," 15 Oct. 2017
The black leather Sport steering wheel had perforated, contoured side grips and a flat-bottom design, Touch Control Buttons, shift paddles, and a bezel with the AMG logo.

— emma jayne williams, star-telegram, "Mercedes-Benz updates its E400 Coupe for 2018, adding elegance, tech features | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 14 Oct. 2017
But the design also takes into consideration the specific needs of women who have had a mastectomy.

— Health.com, "This Athleta Sports Bra Was Specifically Designed for Women Who Have Had a Mastectomy," 9 Oct. 2017

Origin and Etymology of design

see ¹design

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1565

See Words from the same year

design Synonyms

Synonyms

arrangement, blueprint, plan, game, game plan, ground plan, master plan, program, project, road map, scheme, strategy, system

Related Words

collusion, conspiracy, plot; contrivance, device, gambit, maneuver, ruse, stratagem, subterfuge, trick; counterplan, counterstrategy; means, tactic, technique, way; procedure, protocol; conception, idea, projet, proposal, specific (s), specification (s); aim, intent, intention, purpose; diagram, formula, layout, map, pattern, platform, policy, recipe, setup

Near Antonyms

means, method, way

Synonym Discussion of design

intention, intent, purpose, design, aim, end, object, objective, goal mean what one intends to accomplish or attain. intention implies little more than what one has in mind to do or bring about.

- announced his intention to marry

intent suggests clearer formulation or greater deliberateness.

- the clear intent of the statute

purpose suggests a more settled determination.

- being successful was her purpose in life

design implies a more carefully calculated plan.

- the order of events came by accident, not design

aim adds to these implications of effort directed toward attaining or accomplishing.

- her aim was to raise film to an art form

end stresses the intended effect of action often in distinction or contrast to the action or means as such.

- willing to use any means to achieve his end

object may equal end but more often applies to a more individually determined wish or need.

- his constant object was the achievement of pleasure

objective implies something tangible and immediately attainable.

- their objective is to seize the oil fields

goal suggests something attained only by prolonged effort and hardship.

- worked years to reach her goals

plan, design, plot, scheme, project mean a method devised for making or doing something or achieving an end. plan always implies mental formulation and sometimes graphic representation.

- plans for a house

design often suggests a particular pattern and some degree of achieved order or harmony.

- a design for a new dress

plot implies a laying out in clearly distinguished sections with attention to their relations and proportions.

- the plot of the play

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

project often stresses imaginative scope and vision.

- a project to develop the waterfront

DESIGN Defined for English Language Learners

design

verb

Definition of design for English Language Learners

: to plan and make decisions about (something that is being built or created) : to create the plans, drawings, etc., that show how (something) will be made
: to plan and make (something) for a specific use or purpose
: to think of (something, such as a plan) : to plan (something) in your mind

design

noun

Definition of design for English Language Learners

: the way something has been made : the way the parts of something (such as a building, machine, book, etc.) are formed and arranged for a particular use, effect, etc.
: the process of planning how something will look, happen, be made, etc. : the process of designing something
: a drawing of something that is being planned or created

DESIGN Defined for Kids

design

verb de·sign \ di-ˈzīn \

Definition of design for Students

designed; designing

1 : to think up and plan out in the mind

Our engineers have designed a new engine.

2 : to set apart for or have as a special purpose : intend

The Web site is designed for fun.

3 : to make a pattern or sketch of

She designs clothes.

design

noun

Definition of design for Students

1 : an arrangement of parts in a structure or a work of art

The design of the house suits a large family.

2 : the art or process of planning and creating something

His job is Web page design.

3 : a sketch, model, or plan of something made or to be made

Architects studied the design for the building.

4 : a decorative pattern

5 : ¹plan 1, scheme

6 : a planned intention

As if by design, they both stopped at the same spot …
—Jerry Spinelli, Maniac Magee

7 : a secret purpose : plot

I know you have designs on my money.

Medical Dictionary

design

noun de·sign \ di-ˈzīn \

medical Definition of design

: a plan or protocol for carrying out or accomplishing something (especially a scientific experiment); also : the process of preparing this

—

design

transitive verb

Learn More about design

See words that rhyme with design Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for design Spanish Central: Translation of design Nglish: Translation of design for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of design for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up design? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

design

Definition of design

designedly

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of design in a Sentence

Recent Examples of design from the Web

Origin and Etymology of design

design Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

design

Definition of design

Examples of design in a Sentence

Recent Examples of design from the Web

Origin and Etymology of design

design Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of design

Phrases Related to DESIGN

Related Phrases

DESIGN Defined for English Language Learners

design

Definition of design for English Language Learners

design

Definition of design for English Language Learners

DESIGN Defined for Kids

design

Definition of design for Students

design

Definition of design for Students

Medical Dictionary

design

medical Definition of design

design

Learn More about design

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Trending: Franks Resigns Amid 'Surrogacy' Scandal

'Wreck' and 'Reckless': Accidents Happen

Intact Latin Quiz

It's a Living: Last Names That Started as Jobs

Words of the Year: 1066