design
Other forms: designed; designs; designing
To design is to conceive, create, sketch out, or invent something. An architect might design a new apartment building, and an inventor might design a new smart phone.
Charles Eames, famous designer of fancy modern chairs, said "Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose." That's a broad definition, but then again, design is a broad field. School kids design book report posters, engineers design bridges, and politicians design arguments against their opponents. If you really want to explore design, take some time to examine the expert layout of a Picasso painting.
Definitions of design
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the act of working out the form of something (as by making a sketch or outline or plan)“he contributed to the design of a new instrument”
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synonyms:
designing
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types:
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planning
the act or process of drawing up plans or layouts for some project or enterprise
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city planning, town planning, urban planning
determining and drawing up plans for the future physical arrangement and condition of a community
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type of:
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creating by mental acts
the act of creating something by thinking
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planning
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an arrangement scheme“the awkward design of the keyboard made operation difficult”“it was an excellent design for living”
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synonyms:
plan
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types:
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configuration, constellation
an arrangement of parts or elements
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layout
a plan or design of something that is laid out
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snare, trap
something (often something deceptively attractive) that catches you unawares
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hotel plan, meal plan
a plan and a room rate for providing a room and meals to guests at a hotel
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redundancy
(electronics) a system design that duplicates components to provide alternatives in case one component fails
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network topology, topology
the configuration of a communication network
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chunking, unitisation, unitization
(psychology) the configuration of smaller units of information into large coordinated units
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iron trap
a trap from which there is no escape
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speed trap
a trap arranged on a roadway for catching speeders
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American plan
a hotel plan that includes three meals daily
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Bermuda plan
a hotel plan that provides a full breakfast daily
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European plan, continental plan
a hotel plan that provides a continental breakfast daily
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type of:
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arrangement, organisation, organization, system
an organized structure for arranging or classifying
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a preliminary sketch indicating the plan for something
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something intended as a guide for making something else
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a decorative or artistic work“the coach had a design on the doors”
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types:
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argyle, argyll
a design consisting of a pattern of varicolored diamonds on a solid background (originally for knitted articles); patterned after the tartan of a clan in western Scotland
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bear claw
an incised design resembling the claw of a bear; used in Native American pottery
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damascene
a design produced by inlaying gold or silver into steel
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decal, decalcomania
either a design that is fixed to some surface or a paper bearing the design which is to be transferred to the surface
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device
any ornamental pattern or design (as in embroidery)
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emblem, icon
special design or visual object representing a quality, type, group, etc.
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herringbone, herringbone pattern
a pattern of columns of short parallel lines with all the lines in one column sloping one way and lines in adjacent columns sloping the other way; it is used in weaving, masonry, parquetry, embroidery
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linocut
a design carved in relief into a block of linoleum
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mandala
any of various geometric designs (usually circular) symbolizing the universe; used chiefly in Hinduism and Buddhism as an aid to meditation
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mihrab
(Islam) a design in the shape of niche in a Muslim prayer rug; during worship the niche must be pointed toward Mecca
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motif, motive
a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration
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polka dot
design consisting of a pattern of regularly spaced circular spots
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pyrograph
a design produced by pyrography
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screen saver
(computer science) a moving design that appears on a computer screen when there has been no input for a specified period of time
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sunburst
a design consisting of a central disk resembling the sun and rays emanating from it
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tattoo
a design on the skin made by tattooing
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tetraskele, tetraskelion
a figure consisting of four stylized human arms or legs (or bent lines) radiating from a center
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triskele, triskelion
a figure consisting of three stylized human arms or legs (or three bent lines) radiating from a center
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weave
pattern of weaving or structure of a fabric
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marking
a pattern of marks
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check
a textile pattern of squares or crossed lines (resembling a checkerboard)
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colophon
a publisher's emblem printed in a book (usually on the title page)
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colors, colours
a distinguishing emblem
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crest
(heraldry) in medieval times, an emblem used to decorate a helmet
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Cross
a representation of the structure on which Jesus was crucified; used as an emblem of Christianity or in heraldry
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device
an emblematic design (especially in heraldry)
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flag
emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
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heraldry
emblem indicating the right of a person to bear arms
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open weave
a weave in which warp threads never come together, leaving interstices in the fabric
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plain weave, taffeta weave
a basic style of weave in which the weft and warp threads intertwine alternately to produce a checkerboard effect
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satin weave
a weave in which the filling and warp threads intersect in such a way as to give a smooth compact surface with no distinguishable twill line
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seal, stamp
a device incised to make an impression; used to secure a closing or to authenticate documents
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skull and crossbones
emblem warning of danger or death
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totem
emblem consisting of an object such as an animal or plant; serves as the symbol of a family or clan (especially among American Indians)
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totem pole
a tribal emblem consisting of a pillar carved and painted with totemic figures; erected by Indian tribes of the northwest Pacific coast
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twill, twill weave
a weave used to produce the effect of parallel diagonal ribs
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blaze
a light-colored marking
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crisscross, cross, mark
a marking that consists of lines that cross each other
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eyespot, ocellus
an eyelike marking (as on the wings of some butterflies); usually a spot of color inside a ring of another color
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shading
graded markings that indicate light or shaded areas in a drawing or painting
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dapple, fleck, maculation, patch, speckle, spot
a small contrasting part of something
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bar, streak, stripe
a narrow marking of a different color or texture from the background
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Hakenkreuz, swastika
the official emblem of the Nazi Party and the Third Reich; a cross with the arms bent at right angles in a clockwise direction
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type of:
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decoration, ornament, ornamentation
something used to beautify
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make or work out a plan for; devise“design a new sales strategy”
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types:
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plot
devise the sequence of events in (a literary work or a play, movie, or ballet)
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concert
contrive (a plan) by mutual agreement
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map, map out
plan, delineate, or arrange in detail
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strategize
devise a strategy, plan, or course of action
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type of:
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create by mental act, create mentally
create mentally and abstractly rather than with one's hands
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make a design of; plan out in systematic, often graphic form“design a better mousetrap”
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synonyms:
plan
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types:
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engineer
design as an engineer
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redesign
design anew, make a new design for
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blueprint, draft, draught
make a blueprint of
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type of:
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create by mental act, create mentally
create mentally and abstractly rather than with one's hands
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engineer
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create the design for; create or execute in an artistic or highly skilled manner
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plan something for a specific role or purpose or effect
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create designs
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the creation of something in the mind
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synonyms:
conception, excogitation, innovation, invention
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types:
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concoction
the invention of a scheme or story to suit some purpose
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contrivance
the faculty of contriving; inventive skill
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type of:
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creative thinking, creativeness, creativity
the ability to create
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concoction
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an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions“he made no secret of his designs”
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types:
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idea, mind
your intention; what you intend to do
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cross-purpose
a contrary aim
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final cause
(philosophy) the end or purpose of a thing or process
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sake
the purpose of achieving or obtaining
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view
purpose; the phrase `with a view to' means `with the intention of' or `for the purpose of'
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will
a fixed and persistent intent or purpose
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conceive or fashion in the mind; invent“She designed a good excuse for not attending classes that day”
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type of:
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conceive, conceptualise, conceptualize, gestate
have the idea for
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conceive, conceptualise, conceptualize, gestate
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intend or have as a purpose
Pronunciation
US
/dɪˈzaɪn/
UK
/dɪˈzaɪn/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘design'.
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