as in conspiracy
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed
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Recent Examples of machination
His machinations were getting no coverage to speak of, but even at that early stage, Vrabel — Volin noted — was purging the Patriots roster of players connected to his predecessors, one-year head coach Jerod Mayo and before that, legendary head coach Bill Belichick.
—
Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Fans of the Mountain West and Pac-12 should attempt to ignore the legal machinations — a court filing here, a statement there — at least until the parties settle or head to trial.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Astronomy and space sciences have mostly avoided the fraudulent practices of paper mills and predatory journals, but that might be about to change, warn the authors of a new report that delves into the ugly machinations of criminal organizations that profit from fake science.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2025
The first two seasons of The Gilded Age suggest that her slightly unhinged machinations in the pursuit of totalizing social victory are what George has always loved about her.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for machination
Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Fans of the Mountain West and Pac-12 should attempt to ignore the legal machinations — a court filing here, a statement there — at least until the parties settle or head to trial.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Astronomy and space sciences have mostly avoided the fraudulent practices of paper mills and predatory journals, but that might be about to change, warn the authors of a new report that delves into the ugly machinations of criminal organizations that profit from fake science.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2025
The first two seasons of The Gilded Age suggest that her slightly unhinged machinations in the pursuit of totalizing social victory are what George has always loved about her.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for machination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for machination
Noun
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The jury convicted Patron of intentional killing while engaged in drug trafficking, hostage taking resulting in death and conspiracy to take hostages resulting in death.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
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Two young soldiers from each reality must unite to solve a government conspiracy.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Roberts and Robinson, who federal prosecutors say conducted the scheme over the course of five years, between 2018 and 2023, allegedly stole $900,000 from the court system.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
13 Sep. 2025
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Just look at the offense — more weapons, better scheme, more support.—
Dianna Russini,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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One of the pleasures of Ruíz de Azua’s work, in film and TV, is its capacity to generate questions, as the plot builds and on a psychological and social level.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
9 Sep. 2025
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The plot sees the climbing group left reeling after a tragic accident on a mountaineering expedition.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Machination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/machination. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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