strategy

strategy — noun

1. A set of carefully chosen actions that someone follows to reach an important goa

1.nounB1
Definition

A set of carefully chosen actions that someone follows to reach an important goal, often used in areas such as business, politics, sports, or war; also the ability to create such plans.

Example

The company's new strategy for expanding into Europe was approved by the board last week.

strategy + for + gerund (goal-oriented pattern)

Naoko spent three months developing a marketing strategy before launching her online store.

develop / formulate a strategy (collocation)

Common collocations
  • business strategy
  • marketing strategy
  • military strategy
  • long-term strategy
  • develop a strategy
  • formulate a strategy
  • implement a strategy
  • pricing strategy
  • exit strategy
  • winning strategy
Synonyms
  • plan

    more general and less formal; a strategy is a big-picture plan

  • approach

    focuses on the method or way rather than the structured sequence of actions

  • policy

    a formal set of principles adopted by an organisation, often more rigid than a strategy

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

strategy + for + noun/gerund

strategy + of + noun/gerund

strategy + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Countable when referring to a specific plan ("we need a new strategy"); uncountable when referring to the general skill or field ("strategy is taught at business schools"). Frequently used with for or to-infinitive to specify the goal.

Common Mistakes

We need a new tactic for the Asian market.
We need a new strategy for the Asian market.
'tactic' is a specific short-term action within a larger 'strategy'.
His strategy was very strategical.
His strategy was very well thought out.
'strategical' is rare and considered unnatural; use 'strategic' instead.

2. A particular method or personal approach that someone uses to handle a situation

2.nounB2
Definition

A particular method or personal approach that someone uses to handle a situation, solve a problem, or achieve a result in everyday life.

Example

The best strategy for dealing with angry customers is to let them speak first.

strategy + for + gerund

Chidi tried a different strategy this time — he asked questions instead of giving orders.

Common collocations
  • coping strategy
  • learning strategy
  • survival strategy
  • parenting strategy
  • reading strategy
  • study strategy
Synonyms
  • method

    more neutral and technical; implies a proven procedure

  • technique

    focuses on the specific skill or way of doing something

  • approach

    a broad way of dealing with a situation, less structured than a strategy

Grammar Patterns

strategy + for + -ing

strategy + of + -ing

possessive + strategy

Usage Note

This sense focuses on an individual's personal method rather than an organisation's formal plan. It is almost always countable and often followed by for + gerund. Distinguish from sense 1 (DETAILED PLAN), which implies a larger, more structured set of actions.

Common Mistakes

I need a strategy how to study better.
I need a strategy for studying better.
'strategy' is followed by 'for + gerund' or 'to-infinitive', not 'how to'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Strategy, plan, tactic, approach, and policy all relate to deciding what to do, but at different levels. A strategy is a high-level, long-term set of actions to reach a major goal — it answers the question 'where do we want to go and how will we get there?' A plan is broader and less formal; you can have a plan for the weekend, but a strategy usually covers bigger ambitions. A tactic is smaller and more specific — a single action within a strategy (e.g., running a social media ad is a tactic; a strategy decides which platforms to use and why). Approach emphasises the general style or method (a collaborative vs. competitive approach) rather than a structured sequence. Policy is a fixed rule or principle that guides decisions (e.g., a company's return policy), not a flexible action plan. In business: 'The company's strategy was to enter emerging markets first. One tactic was hiring local sales teams. The CEO's hands-on approach drove the execution. Their policy required full local compliance.'

plan ↗tactic ↗approach ↗policy ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • part of a strategy
  • change of strategy
  • matter of strategy

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

Strategy entered English in the early 1800s from French 'stratégie', which came from Greek 'strategia' — meaning 'generalship' or 'the office of a general'. The Greek root 'strategos' (general) combines 'stratos' (army) with 'agein' (to lead). The word stayed purely military for most of the 19th century, then gradually expanded into business, politics, and everyday life as people started applying the idea of long-term planning beyond the battlefield.