scheme

B2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /skiːm/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like skim /ɪ/ vs /iː/

Freq #5139

Meanings

1

noun
An official plan or programme to achieve something.

The government launched a new scheme to help first-time buyers.
2

noun
A secret or dishonest plan to do something.

The police uncovered a scheme to steal customers' bank details.
3

verb
To make secret plans, especially to do something dishonest.

They schemed to take control of the company.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an official plan or... plan programme project

2 noun · a secret or dishonest plan... plot plan

3 verb · to make secret plans,... plot conspire

More hatch intrigue

Word family

Forms schemedschemesscheming

Derived forms schematizationschemerschemesterschemie

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

pyramid scheme
a fraudulent arrangement in which participants pay earlier recruits and depend on recruiting others for income

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Scheme entered English in the mid 16th century from Latin schema, itself from Greek, and originally denoted a figure of speech. An early English sense was a diagram showing the positions of celestial objects; from this developed the more general meanings “diagram” and “outline,” which led to the word's current senses.

Etymology

From late Middle English scheame, from Medieval Latin schēma (“figure, form”), from Ancient Greek σχῆμα (skhêma, “form, shape”), from ἔχω (ékhō, “to hold”). Doublet of schema. Compare sketch.

scheame Middle English schēma la-med σχῆμα Ancient Greek *seǵʰ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# scheme

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /skiːm/
**Frequency rank:** 5139

## Meanings
1. An official plan or programme to achieve something.
2. A secret or dishonest plan to do something.
3. To make secret plans, especially to do something dishonest.

## Examples
- The government launched a new scheme to help first-time buyers.
- The police uncovered a scheme to steal customers' bank details.
- They schemed to take control of the company.

## Synonyms
- hatch
- intrigue

## Derived Forms
- schematization
- schemer
- schemester
- schemie

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: scheame
- Root: schēma
- Root: σχῆμα
- Root: *seǵʰ-

## Etymology
From late Middle English scheame, from Medieval Latin schēma (“figure, form”), from Ancient Greek σχῆμα (skhêma, “form, shape”), from ἔχω (ékhō, “to hold”). Doublet of schema. Compare sketch.

## AI Etymology
Scheme is from late Middle English scheame, from Medieval Latin schēma (“figure, form”), from Ancient Greek σχῆμα (skhêma, “form, shape”), from ἔχω (ékhō, “to hold”). Doublet of schema. Compare sketch. Important forms in the word's history include Middle English scheame, la-med schēma, Ancient Greek σχῆμα, Proto-Indo-European *seǵʰ-. In current use it includes senses such as An official plan or programme to achieve something and A secret or dishonest plan to do something.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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