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)

blueprints, present (3rd person singular) blueprinted, past participle, past blueprinting present participle

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

Derived Forms

• blueprinter
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has blueprinted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have blueprinted
  perfect
• are blueprinting
  progressive
• blueprints
  singular 3rd person
• has been blueprinting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• blueprinting
  participle
• is blueprinting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been blueprinting
  perfect progressive
• am blueprinting
  progressive 1st person singular

Past

• had blueprinted
  perfect
• had been blueprinting
  perfect progressive
• blueprinted
  simple
• blueprinted
  participle
• was blueprinting
  progressive singular
• were blueprinting
  progressive plural

Future

• will blueprint
  simple
• will have blueprinted
  perfect
• will be blueprinting
  progressive
• will have been blueprinting
  perfect progressive

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

But publication of the blueprint has been delayed after the MoD reportedly asked for an extra £28bn over the next four years, following an internal assessment last year.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

The blueprint in those races was remarkably similar.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

The trio released a blueprint for 100-megawatt AI data centers that provides Siemens’ electrical frameworks and nVent’s plumbing.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

Regulators at the California Air Resources Board are set to decide May 28 whether to approve the latest blueprint for greenhouse gas limits on major polluters through 2045, a program known as cap-and-invest.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026

In a few cases, we also know something about the individuals who designed writing systems by blueprint copying in the remote past.

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