What does "plot" mean?

1. (storyline) the series of events that make up the story of a book, film, or play. 2. (secret plan) a secret plan made by a group of people to do something illegal or harmful. 3. (piece of land) a small, measured area of land used for building a house or growing vegetables. 4. (graph or diagram) a graph or map that shows information using points and lines. 5. (to plan secretly) to make a secret plan to do something, usually something bad. 6. (to mark on a map or graph) to mark points on a map or a graph to show where something is or how it changes.

plot

n. · v.

US //ˈpɫɑt// UK //plˈɒt// plot

1 storyline (n.)
B1 Intermediate

the series of events that make up the story of a book, film, or play.

the sequence of events and character actions that constitute the main narrative of a literary or dramatic work.

Example

The film had great acting, but the plot was too complicated to follow.

Example

While the protagonist is well-developed, the plot relies on several unlikely coincidences that undermine the realism of the final act.
- storyline
- narrative
2 secret plan (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a secret plan made by a group of people to do something illegal or harmful.

a clandestine scheme or conspiracy intended to achieve an unlawful or harmful end.

Example

The police discovered a plot to steal the famous painting from the museum.

Example

Historians still debate whether the plot to overthrow the government was a genuine threat or a fabrication used to justify the subsequent crackdown.

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3 piece of land (n.)
B1 Intermediate

a small, measured area of land used for building a house or growing vegetables.

a measured parcel of land, typically designated for a specific purpose such as construction, gardening, or burial.

Example

They bought a small plot of land in the countryside to build a holiday home.

Example

The developer divided the estate into twelve residential plots, each with enough space for a modest garden and a two-car garage.
4 graph or diagram (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Math

a graph or map that shows information using points and lines.

a graphical representation of data, such as a chart or diagram, produced to show the relationship between variables.

Example

The scientist looked at the plot of the temperature changes over the last century.

Example

The scatter plot revealed a strong correlation between the two variables, though several outliers required further investigation.
5 to plan secretly (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to make a secret plan to do something, usually something bad.

to devise a secret plan or conspiracy, often involving illegal or harmful actions.

Example

The villains were plotting to take over the city from their secret base.

Example

The rebels spent months plotting the escape, carefully monitoring the guards' movements to identify a window of opportunity.
- conspire
- scheme
6 to mark on a map or graph (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Science

to mark points on a map or a graph to show where something is or how it changes.

to mark or trace points on a chart, map, or graph to represent data or a route.

Example

The captain plotted the ship's course on the map to avoid the storm.

Example

By plotting the coordinates of each sighting, the researchers were able to track the migratory patterns of the whale pod across the Atlantic.

Origin

From Middle English plot, plotte, from Old English plot (“a plot of ground”), from Proto-Germanic plataz, platjaz (“a patch”), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Middle Low German plet (“patch, strip of cloth, rags”), German Bletz (“rags, bits, strip of land”), and possibly Gothic 𐍀𐌻𐌰𐍄 (plat, “a patch, rags”). See also plat. See also complot for an influence on or source of noun sense 5. Noun sense 9 is a back-formation from for the plot.

Idioms3 entries