Phrase guide

contingency plan

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An alternative plan to be put into operation if needed, especially in case of emergencies, or if a primary plan fails.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: plan B, fallback

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

40 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: pla B — alternative plan
  • Chinese Mandarin: 應急計劃 /应急计划 (yìngjí jìhuà) — alternative plan
  • Czech: plán B — alternative plan
  • Czech: pohotovostní plán — alternative plan
  • Czech: záložní plán — alternative plan
  • Danish: beredskabsplan — alternative plan
  • Dutch: plan B — alternative plan
  • Esperanto: plano B — alternative plan
  • Finnish: varasuunnitelma — alternative plan
  • Finnish: hätäsuunnitelma — alternative plan
  • Finnish: jatkuvuussuunnitelma — alternative plan
  • French: plan B — alternative plan
  • German: Plan B — alternative plan
  • German: Notfallplan — alternative plan
  • German: Alternativplan — alternative plan
  • German: Ausweichplan — alternative plan
  • Hungarian: vészforgatókönyv — alternative plan
  • Hungarian: B terv — alternative plan
  • Irish: plean B — alternative plan
  • Irish: plean teagmhais — alternative plan
  • Italian: piano B — alternative plan
  • Northern Kurdish: plana B — alternative plan
  • Norwegian Bokmål: beredskapsplan — alternative plan
  • Norwegian Bokmål: plan B — alternative plan
  • Norwegian Bokmål: reserveplan — alternative plan
  • Polish: plan awaryjny — alternative plan
  • Polish: plan B — alternative plan
  • Portuguese: plano B — alternative plan
  • Russian: запасно́й план (zapasnój plan) — alternative plan
  • Russian: план Б — alternative plan
  • Russian: запасно́й вариа́нт (zapasnój variánt) — alternative plan
  • Russian: чрезвыча́йный план (črezvyčájnyj plan) — alternative plan
  • Spanish: plan B — alternative plan
  • Swedish: beredskapsplan — alternative plan
  • Swedish: plan B — alternative plan
  • Swedish: nödplan — alternative plan
  • Swedish: reservplan — alternative plan
  • Swedish: alternativplan — alternative plan
  • Welsh: cynllun at raid — alternative plan
  • Welsh: cynllun wrth gefn — alternative plan