plan B
Second-try approach
Plan B is a backup strategy when the original plan fails or becomes impossible: When the restaurant was closed, plan B was pizza.
The phrase implies pragmatic flexibility—you hoped for one outcome but prepared for another.
Capitalized Plan B is also a brand name for emergency contraception, sometimes called "the morning-after pill."
- fallbackAlternative if primary fails
- back pocketRear trouser compartment
- safety netProtection against failure
- backupStored duplicate for recovery
- contingencyUncertain possible event
rainy day fund · alternative · second choice · option · last resort · hail mary · reserve · escape route · emergency contraception · morning-after pill · birth control · emergency · worst case scenario · insurance policy · backstop · pivot · workaround · reproductive health
- alternate routesbypass, detour, alternate route, reroute, diversion
- Plan Adjustmentspivoting, recalibrating, reprioritizing, scaling back, course correction
- safety netsrescue net, net, fall protection, backstop, failsafe
- secondarysecondary, second fiddle, second string, second choice, second place
- strategystrategy, grand strategy, tactics, tactic, tactical
- planningplanners, to-do lists, calendars, scheduling, prepare
plan Bplan A
Preferred course of action
first choice · top choice · best-case scenario · dream scenario · standard operating procedure
- backup planAlternative if primary fails
- game planPredetermined approach to winning
- weekend plansScheduled off-day activities
- escape planStrategy for fleeing confinement
- master planOverall strategic framework
- healthcare plansInsurance for medical services
plan, planned, plans, planning, planner, unplanned, replan, preplanned, overplanned