Meaning & use

plot

noun·Everyday

The main sequence of events in a story, or a secret plan made by a group to achieve something, often harmful.

See it in a sentence

The novel's plot follows a detective racing to solve a murder before the killer strikes again.

Investigators uncovered a plot to smuggle stolen artifacts out of the country.

A note on using this word

Plot can also mean a small piece of land, as in a garden plot, a sense unrelated to storytelling or scheming.

Words with a similar meaning

storylinescheme

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. verb

To plan something secretly, especially something illegal or harmful, or to mark points on a graph or map.

The scientist plotted the data points to show how temperatures had risen over the decade.

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