blueprint

noun

blue·​print ˈblü-ˌprint 

plural blueprints

1

: a photographic print in white on a bright blue ground or blue on a white ground used especially for copying maps, mechanical drawings, and architects' plans

2

: something or someone resembling a blueprint (as in serving as a model or providing guidance)

… few foundations have taken a similar [investing] route, so there was no blueprint to follow.

—Paul Sullivan

He was an anomaly to the rap world when he arrived, but today he is the blueprint for a generation.

—Jeff Ihaza

especially : a detailed plan or program of action

a blueprint for success

blueprint transitive verb

blueprinted; blueprinting; blueprints

It was not something blueprinted from the start or based on a French bistro archetype; it's a restaurant that has grown and evolved …

—Ian McNulty

Synonyms

• arrangement
• design
• game
• game plan
• ground plan
• master plan
• plan
• program
• project
• road map
• scheme
• strategy
• system

Examples of blueprint in a Sentence

a blueprint for reforming the public school system

an ambitious young man with a remarkably detailed blueprint for becoming a millionaire by the age of 25

Recent Examples on the Web

The pact, now in its fourth revision, aims to provide a blueprint on how to tackle critical issues like conflicts, climate change, security council reform and the regulation of artificial intelligence. —Richard Roth, CNN, 21 Sep. 2024

This extraordinary auction has not only captivated the numismatic community but also provided a blueprint for future estate planning and cultural preservation efforts worldwide. —Matthew F. Erskine, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024

Lake Powell Pipeline Morgan Drake and Brock Belnap, two of the people behind the District’s Lake Powell Pipeline project, hold up blueprints for the controversial scheme that would involve 13 pumping stations pushing water 2,000 feet uphill and across 140 miles west to Washington County. —Photographs & Text By Elliot Ross For Time, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024

Reporting by the Associated Press and New York Times highlighted Vance's connections to the people behind the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, a policy blueprint for a future Republican administration which both the Ohio senator and Trump have sought to distance themselves from. —Sam Woodward, USA TODAY, 14 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

blueprint

1 of 2 noun

blue·​print

ˈblü-ˌprint

1

: a photographic print made with white lines on a blue background and used especially for copying mechanical drawings, maps, and architects' plans

2

: a detailed plan or program of action

blueprint

2 of 2 verb

: to make a blueprint of or for