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plot

noun · verb

Simple meaning

The main events that happen in a story, in order

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

plaht
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈplɑt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. narratology

    The course of a story, comprising a series of incidents which are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means.

  2. An area or land used for building on or planting on.

  3. A graph or diagram drawn by hand or produced by a mechanical or electronic device.

  4. A secret plan to achieve an end, the end or means usually being illegal or otherwise questionable.

  5. A plan; a purpose.

  6. Contrivance; deep reach thought; ability to plot or intrigue.

verb

  1. transitive

    To trace out (a graph or diagram).

  2. transitive

    To mark (a point on a graph, chart, etc).

  3. transitiveintransitive

    To conceive (a crime, misdeed etc).

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A secret plan to achieve an end, the end or means usually being illegal or otherwise questionable.

Used this way, plot is a specialist word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It turns up most in technical or specialist writing contexts.

Emotional tone
Positive
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Successful and accomplished
Usage feel
Clinical and detached

Where it naturally appears

  • Technical/specialist writing

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use plot

  • “The characters were well drawn but the plot was banal.”noun
  • “They concocted a plot to discredit the governor.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

scatter plotgunpowder plotmain plotsmall plotfamily plotwhole plot

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • plotternounInflected form

    A planner who draws up a personal scheme of action.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • plot linenounCompound term

    The plot of a book or play or film.

  • plot of groundnounCompound term

    A small area of ground covered by specific vegetation.

  • plot of landnounCompound term

    A small area of ground covered by specific vegetation.

  • plot elementnounCompound term

    A component or element of the plot of a story.

  • gunpowder plotnounCompound term

    A conspiracy in 1605 in England to blow up James I and the Houses of Parliament to avenge the persecution of Catholics in England.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to trace out (a graph or diagram)

diagram

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.