project

A project is often a piece of work with a clear goal and a clear end. Think of building a treehouse, making a school poster, or creating a new app at work. It usually takes more than one step, so you need time, planning, and effort.

As a verb, project can mean to send, show, or push something outward. A movie projector projects an image onto a screen. A speaker projects her voice so people in the back can hear. People also use it when talking about the future: a company might project higher sales next year. In another common use, something can project from a surface, like a shelf projecting from a wall.

A project is usually a planned piece of work with a particular aim. It can be something formal, like a business project or a research project, or something personal, like a home repair project or an art project. What makes it feel like a project is that it has a purpose, a set of steps, and some point where it is finished. A science fair display, a new office system, and a community garden can all be called projects.

As a verb, project has several closely related meanings. It can mean to throw, send, or show something forward. A lamp projects light across a room, and a machine projects an image onto a wall. It can also mean to make something reach outward in a stronger way: an actor projects confidence, and a singer projects her voice to the back of the hall. In writing about business, science, or government, project often means to estimate a future amount or result, as in projecting costs, growth, or population numbers.

There is also a physical sense. If part of an object projects, it sticks out. A balcony may project over the street, or a branch may project from a trunk. This idea of reaching outward connects many of the word's uses.

So when you meet this word, the meaning usually falls into one of a few patterns: a planned piece of work, the act of sending or showing something forward, an estimate about the future, or the idea of sticking out. The exact sense becomes clear from the context.