3 N‑PLURAL [N to-inf] If you have plans , you are intending to do a particular thing. □ [+ for ] 'I'm sorry,' she said. 'I have plans for tonight.'
4 VERB When you plan something that you are going to make, build, or create, you decide what the main parts of it will be and do a drawing of how it should be made. □ [V n] We are planning a new kitchen.
5 N‑COUNT A plan of something that is going to be built or made is a detailed diagram or drawing of it. □ [+ of/for ] …when you have drawn a plan of the garden.
6 → see also planning
▸ plan on PHRASAL VERB If you plan on doing something, you intend to do it. □ [V P v-ing/n] They were planning on getting married.
plane ◆◆◇ /ple I n/ (planes , planing , planed )
1 N‑COUNT A plane is a vehicle with wings and one or more engines, which can fly through the air. □ He had plenty of time to catch his plane. □ Her mother was killed in a plane crash. □ …fighter planes.
2 N‑COUNT A plane is a flat, level surface which may be sloping at a particular angle. □ …a building with angled planes.
3 N‑SING If a number of points are in the same plane , one line or one flat surface could pass through them all. □ All the planets orbit the Sun in roughly the same plane, round its equator.
4 N‑COUNT A plane is a tool that has a flat bottom with a sharp blade in it. You move the plane over a piece of wood in order to remove thin pieces of its surface.
5 VERB If you plane a piece of wood, you make it smaller or smoother by using a plane. □ [V n] She watches him plane the surface of a walnut board. □ [V n adj] Again I planed the surface flush.
6 N‑COUNT A plane or a plane tree is a large tree with broad leaves which often grows in towns.
plane|load /ple I nloʊd/ (planeloads ) N‑COUNT A planeload of people or goods is as many people or goods as a plane can carry. □ [+ of ] The kingdom has so far sent only a few planeloads of basic relief supplies.
plan|et ◆◇◇ /plæ n I t/ (planets ) N‑COUNT A planet is a large, round object in space that moves around a star. The Earth is a planet. □ The picture shows six of the nine planets in the solar system.
plan|etar|ium /plæ n I teə riəm/ (planetariums ) N‑COUNT A planetarium is a building where lights are shone on the ceiling to represent the planets and the stars and to show how they appear to move.
plan|etary /plæ n I tri, [AM ] -teri/ ADJ [ADJ n] Planetary means relating to or belonging to planets. □ Within our own galaxy there are probably tens of thousands of planetary systems.
plan|gent /plæ ndʒ ə nt/ ADJ A plangent sound is a deep, loud sound, which may be sad. [LITERARY ] □ …plangent violins.
plank /plæ ŋk/ (planks )
1 N‑COUNT A plank is a long, flat, rectangular piece of wood. □ [+ of ] It was very strong, made of three solid planks of wood.
2 N‑COUNT The main plank of a particular group or political party is the main principle on which it bases its policy, or its main aim. [JOURNALISM ] □ [+ of ] Encouraging people to shop locally is a central plank of his environment policy.
3 N‑COUNT Planks are exercises for strengthening your stomach and back muscles. They involve holding your body straight and horizontal with your hands or elbows and toes or knees on the floor. □ For over an hour, I did planks, squats, lunges and crunches.
plank|ing /plæ ŋk I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT Planking is wood that has been cut into long flat pieces. It is used especially to make floors.
plank|ton /plæ ŋktən/ N‑UNCOUNT Plankton is a mass of tiny animals and plants that live in the surface layer of the sea. □ …its usual diet of plankton and other small organisms.
plan|ner /plæ nə r / (planners ) N‑COUNT Planners are people whose job is to make decisions about what is going to be done in the future. For example, town planners decide how land should be used and what new buildings should be built. □ …a panel that includes city planners, art experts and historians.
plan|ning ◆◇◇ /plæ n I ŋ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Planning is the process of deciding in detail how to do something before you actually start to do it. □ The trip needs careful planning. □ The new system is still in the planning stages.
2 → see also family planning
3 N‑UNCOUNT Planning is control by the local government of the way that land is used in an area and of what new buildings are built there. □ …a masterpiece of 18th-century town planning. SYNONYMS planning NOUN 1
organization: Several projects have been delayed by poor organization.
preparation: Behind any successful event lay months of preparation.
arrangement: The staff is working frantically on final arrangements for the summit.
pla n|ning ap|pli|ca|tion (planning applications ) N‑COUNT In Britain, a planning application is a formal request to a local authority for permission to build something new or to add something to an existing building.
pla n|ning per|mis|sion (planning permissions ) N‑VAR In Britain, planning permission is official permission that you must get from the local authority before building something new or adding something to an existing building.
plant ◆◆◆ /plɑː nt, plæ nt/ (plants , planting , planted )
1 N‑COUNT A plant is a living thing that grows in the earth and has a stem, leaves, and roots. □ Water each plant as often as required. □ …exotic plants.