grand scheme
23
5.1
- noun
- Do these games mean anything in the grand scheme of making the Super Bowl?
- grand scheme of things
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Watch on YouTubeThat's big and that's part of his whole grand scheme was to be in charge of that Commission.
- That's big and that's part of his whole grand scheme was to be in charge of that Commission.
- But there was no grand scheme to storm the Capitol and take hostages, right?
- This is how I contribute to this grand scheme.
Examples
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In the grand scheme of things, uh, one life is nothing.
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In the grand scheme of things, what's one boat?
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So I I think in the grand scheme, it's not a big deal.
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But in the grand scheme of things, like, it's not a lot, you know?
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But like, in the grand scheme of life, a lot of it was just so, so small.
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It's not at all important in the grand scheme of life...
Blog text (8) -
So now you avoid the conflict, which in the grand scheme of things is going to come up.
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This competition is of no consequence in the grand scheme of existence.
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Of course, in the grand scheme of things, this isn't much of a difference.
Blog text (9) -
When planning the project, we must consider the grand scheme, as it will affect the entire community.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A set of steps arranged to reach a goal
474
3.9
A way of organizing work or thoughts
79
3.7
A set of actions that helps a team or person reach a goal
63
3.2
An important plan or reason that guides a project
57
4.0
A long guide for how to develop and manage a city or campus over many years
16
3.4
A clear set of steps to reach a goal
6
4.0
A bold, exciting plan to do something new
5
5.1
A big plan for the future to make a large change
How Ambitious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a large and ambitious plan' is a straightforward composition of 'grand' (large, magnificent) modifying 'scheme' (an organized plan), so a B1 learner who knows both words can derive the MWE meaning. This adjective+noun pattern is regular in English and common across languages, making the expression transparently interpretable.
Etymology
Grand scheme gives the image of a very big plan: scheme is like a plan or map and grand makes that plan large and important, as if the map covers many parts. That's why it means 'a large and ambitious plan'.