blueprint

American  

[bloo-print] / ˈbluˌprɪnt /

noun

1. a process of photographic printing, used chiefly in copying architectural and mechanical drawings, which produces a white line on a blue background.

2. a print made by this process.

3. a detailed outline or plan of action.

   a blueprint for success.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make a blueprint of or for.

blueprint British  

/ ˈbluːˌprɪnt /

noun

1. Also called: cyanotype.  a photographic print of plans, technical drawings, etc, consisting of white lines on a blue background

2. an original plan or prototype that influences subsequent design or practice

   the Montessori method was the blueprint for education in the 1940s

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verb

1. (tr) to make a blueprint of (a plan)

Other Word Forms

• blueprinter noun

Etymology

Origin of blueprint

First recorded in 1885–90; blue + print

Explanation

A blueprint is a guide for making something — it's a design or pattern that can be followed. Want to build the best tree house ever? Draw up a blueprint and follow the design carefully. The literal meaning of a blueprint is a paper — which is blue — with plans for a building printed on it. You can also call other guides or plans blueprints. The way you do your homework every night could provide a blueprint for your little sister’s study habits. A business plan is a blueprint for a profitable business. Religions and philosophies provide the blueprint for many people’s lives. A blueprint helps you figure out what to do.

Example Sentences

For me, it really created this blueprint of hope.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

"Nature has already solved the design problem. Our job is to read that blueprint and scale it up to help reefs grow faster and survive longer."

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026

Of the large enterprise-software companies adopting the FDE blueprint, “I don’t think any will be successful” on a large scale, Luria said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

And yet, for at least five decades, Bell Labs created a blueprint for the global development of communications and electronics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

Today, professional linguists design writing systems for unwritten languages by the method of blueprint copying.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• draft
• game plan
• master plan
• model
• prototype
• scheme
• sketch