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plan out

B1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

To carefully think about all the steps of something and decide exactly how it will happen.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To plan something carefully, thinking through all the specific details.

"She spent the whole evening planning out the itinerary for their road trip across Europe."

Grammar: separable
2 B2 neutral

To develop or unfold according to a plan (often used with 'well' or 'perfectly').

"The surprise party planned out perfectly — she had absolutely no idea."

Usage notes

The 'out' adds a sense of thoroughness or completeness — planning something fully from start to finish. Common in both British and American English. Widely used in project management, travel, and organizational contexts. Can be used with a reflexive sense ('it all planned out perfectly').

Commonly used with

route schedule project event career budget

Forms

Base
plan out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
plans out
he/she/it
Past simple
planed out
yesterday
Past participle
planed out
have + pp
-ing form
planing out
continuous

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Synonyms

map out organize lay out arrange schedule work out

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