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Definition of design verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

design

verb
 
/dɪˈzaɪn/
 
/dɪˈzaɪn/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they design
 
/dɪˈzaɪn/
 
/dɪˈzaɪn/
he / she / it designs
 
/dɪˈzaɪnz/
 
/dɪˈzaɪnz/
past simple designed
 
/dɪˈzaɪnd/
 
/dɪˈzaɪnd/
past participle designed
 
/dɪˈzaɪnd/
 
/dɪˈzaɪnd/
-ing form designing
 
/dɪˈzaɪnɪŋ/
 
/dɪˈzaɪnɪŋ/
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    draw plans

  1. to decide how something will look, work, etc., by drawing plans, making computer models, etc.
    • design something He designed and built his own house.
    • to design a building/product/website
    • a well-designed kitchen
    • The blocks were specially designed and manufactured in Italy.
    • design something for somebody/something They asked me to design a poster for the campaign.
    • design somebody something Could you design us a poster?
    Extra Examples
    • She has designed costumes for film and television.
    • The building was designed by a fashionable architect.
    • The students have designed some beautiful and innovative products.
    • The website was poorly designed.
    Topics Buildingsa1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • carefully
    • cleverly
    • intelligently
    preposition
    • for
    See full entry
  2. plan something for special purpose

  3. [often passive] to think of and plan a system, a way of doing something, etc., usually for a particular purpose or use
    • design something We need to design a comprehensive professional development programme.
    • be designed for something The method is specifically designed for use in small groups.
    • The museum is Missouri's first museum designed specifically for contemporary art.
    • be designed as something This course is primarily designed as an introduction to the subject.
    • be designed to do something The system is designed to alert drivers to traffic jams ahead.
    Extra Examples
    • Many new performance halls are designed primarily for music.
    • The instruments are designed for use in very cold conditions.
    • The trail was originally designed to give our staff a quiet place to walk.
    • These shelves have been designed very cleverly to fit into corners.
    • This is a network product designed to give access to large document libraries.
    • a service designed exclusively for women
    • the first yogurt designed especially for babies and toddlers
    • It is easy enough to design systems that work well when everything is going well.
    • They run specially designed courses for managers.
    • We need to design a new syllabus for the third year.
    • The programme is designed to help people who have been out of work for a long time.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • carefully
    • cleverly
    • intelligently
    preposition
    • for
    See full entry
  4. Word Originlate Middle English (as a verb in the sense ‘to designate’): from Latin designare ‘to designate’, reinforced by French désigner. The noun is via French from Italian.
See design in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee design in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
previously
adverb
 
 
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