NounHer books are page-turners, and yet there is more going on in them than just the mechanics of a clever plot β¦βπ Image Robin McKinley, New York Times Book Review, 17 May 1987β¦ as he stood before the great dripping department store which now occupied the big plot of ground where once had stood both the Amberson Hotel and the Amberson Opera House.βπ Image Booth Tarkington, The Magnificent Ambersons, 1918When I returned with the pistol the table had been cleared, and Holmes was engaged in his favourite occupation of scraping upon his violin. "The plot thickens," he said, as I entered β¦βπ Image Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet, 1887
The plots are selling for $15,000 per acre.
They just bought a 12-acre plot of land.
The book's plot revolves around a woman who is searching for her missing sister.
The movie has a weak plot.
Police uncovered a plot to assassinate the prime minister.
The prime minister was the target of an assassination plot. VerbWhile men plotted wars or devised philosophies, women were confined within their homes β¦βπ Image Barbara Ehrenreich, Ms., Winter 2007Would-be nation builders plotted Italy's unification from the south and the north.βπ Image David Van Biema, Time, 4 Sept. 2000
They plotted to steal the painting.
She spent her years in prison plotting her revenge.
We've been plotting growth strategies for the company.
She carefully plotted her career path.
They've plotted the locations where the trees will be planted.
Have you plotted the route for your trip yet?
Students plotted soil temperatures on a graph throughout the school year.
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Noun
If the creation of fiction is a layered endeavorβif premise, plot, style, and so on are to some extent separableβthen must all the layers be made by the same individual?βπ Image Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026 Corin is also not the first to take issue with how the filmβs marketing has eluded mention of the school shooting plot.βπ Image Brian Welk, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
Baiamonte also plotted unique calls for every Heat player.βπ Image Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026 One tells a story of an A-list actress, aided by some of the biggest celebrities in the world who include husband Ryan Reynolds and friend Taylor Swift, plotting to seize control of a directorβs passion project.βπ Image Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for plot
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English, from Old English
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
