playbook

[ pley-book ]

noun

1. (in Elizabethan drama) the script of a play, used by the actors as an acting text.
2. a book containing the scripts of one or more plays.
3. Football. a notebook containing descriptions of all the plays and strategies used by a team, often accompanied by diagrams, issued to players for them to study and memorize before the season begins.
4. Informal. any plan or set of strategies, as for outlining a campaign in business or politics.

playbook

/ ˈpleɪˌbʊk /

noun

1. a book containing a range of possible set plays
2. a notional range of possible tactics in any sphere of activity

Word History and Origins

Origin of playbook¹

First recorded in 1525–35; play + book

Example Sentences

With each rushing lane that Herbert finds, offensive coordinator Greg Roman just sees his playbook open more and more.

From Los Angeles Times

Borrowing from his Afghanistan playbook, Hoover has identified three priorities that begin with reorganizing LA28, creating separate departments for planning, operations and logistics.

From Los Angeles Times

James Van Der Beek says a tabloid threat prompted him to quickly go public with his cancer diagnosis: ‘There’s no playbook for how to announce these things.’

From Los Angeles Times

Harris, to her immense credit, avoided such a politics, rejecting “the same old playbook,” as she put it.

From Salon

And though Trump has publicly distanced himself from the conservative Project 2025 playbook, many of its proposals overlap with Trump’s agenda and the Republican Party platform.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• article
• book
• copy
• dialogue
• libretto
• manuscript
• scenario
• text