Strategy Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Related Words

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms strategy American [strat-i-jee] / ˈstræt ɪ dʒi /

noun

plural

strategies

1. Also the science or art of combining and employing the means of war in planning and directing large military movements and operations.

2. the use or an instance of using this science or art.

3. skillful use of a stratagem.

   The salesperson's strategy was to seem always to agree with the customer.

4. a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result.

   a strategy for getting ahead in the world.

strategy British / ˈstrætɪdʒɪ /

noun

1. the art or science of the planning and conduct of a war; generalship

2. a particular long-term plan for success, esp in business or politics Compare tactics

3. a plan or stratagem

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What is strategy? A strategy is a plan or method put in place to achieve a goal or result, as in Blanca’s strategy for passing the test was to study every night until test day.Strategy can refer to the use of tactics in the planning of military operations, usually to succeed in a battle or war. In a military context, a strategy can refer to an overall plan, a specific or broad goal, or the execution of said plan or goal.Strategy can also refer to the use of a strategy to meet a goal, as in The only way to win a war is with a solid strategy.Example: Their strategy was to distract the enemy and then sneak in from behind.

Related Words

In military usage, a distinction is made between strategy and tactics. Strategy is the utilization, during both peace and war, of all of a nation's forces, through large-scale, long-range planning and development, to ensure security or victory. Tactics deals with the use and deployment of troops in actual combat.

Other Word Forms

• counterstrategy noun

Etymology

Origin of strategy

First recorded in 1680–90; from Greek stratēgía “generalship,” equivalent to stratēg(os) “military commander, general” ( strat(ós) “army” + -ēgos, noun derivative of ágein “to lead”) + -ia -y 3

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

After the deal, IonQ told Barron’s that its acquisitions are part of a comprehensive strategy that has allowed it “to quickly move into quantum tech spaces adjacent to our original quantum computing roots.”

From Barron's

In such instances, executives and directors often buy shares in clusters to amplify their vote of confidence in the strategy—as they did in a quarter of the trades analyzed, according to the Verity data.

From The Wall Street Journal

Dire vaccine shortages amid a surge in cholera cases forced a halt to preventative immunisation efforts in 2022, and a move to a one-dose strategy from the usual two in outbreak emergency responses.

From Barron's

On the third-quarter earnings call in October, Noel said the company’s Medicare Advantage enrollment would contract this year as it significantly adjusted benefits and exited some markets, part of the strategy to improve margins.

From Barron's

Blakey, though, argues the stock has been too harshly punished for that and the wider AI threat, considering revenue growth of about 20% annually and the shift in its go-to-market strategy,

From Barron's

Related Words

• action
• approach
• blueprint
• design
• game plan
• method
• plan
• planning
• policy
• procedure
• program
• project
• scenario
• scheme
• system

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.