plots 1 of 2

plural of plot
1
2
3
as in properties
a small piece of land that is developed or available for development subdivided the old farm into plots for tract houses

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
as in stories
the unfolding of events in a dramatic or literary work wrote novels in which the plot was always subordinate to the characterizations

Synonyms & Similar Words

plots

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of plot

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of plots
Noun
In one of the side plots to The Lord of the Rings, two of the Hobbits attempt to rouse Treebeard—a wise but ponderous sentient tree—to defend his forest from an army that is cutting it down. Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026 Parreno said the grant will cover the costs of about a year’s worth of water for the garden’s 100-plus members, who also pay dues to access plots. Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 The plots of Roman romance novels are full of heightened melodrama. Literary Hub, 30 June 2026 Cover crops, once rare, are now much more common, from the cooperative's member plots to estates like La Reynardière, which gives up seven or eight percent of its yield to them in the bet that living soils send roots deeper for water. Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026 Aurora Caño and Isaac Muga founded Bodegas Muga in 1932 in Haro’s historic Barrio de La Estacion and today the family sources grapes from high-altitude plots in the Rioja Alta region. Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 26 June 2026 The Soviet state made private plots available to all because their private production accounted for a whopping 40% of the country’s total food consumption. Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 25 June 2026 The notebook detailed two plots to murder the juvenile's family, the sheriff's office alleged in their statement. Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026 These movies are wildly popular spectacles, even if the plots are a little thin. K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 19 June 2026
Verb
While Burnham plots his next move, the UK government now enters a new period of uncertainty, potentially facing a sixth prime minister in seven years. Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 19 June 2026 An engineer plots a well’s falling output, fits a curve, and projects it forward. Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026 The same teenager who drafts op-eds to send to places like the Times plots his next battle attack. Liana Handler follow, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026 Shakespeare’s comedies especially understand the joy of watching people get trapped in schemes and plots well beyond their control. Literary Hub, 2 June 2026 Goldman here plots the earnings-revisions trend for 2027 among AI-infrastructure plays, energy companies, the overall S & P 500 and the rest of the S & P outside of AI and energy. Michael Santoli, CNBC, 19 May 2026 While the story is fundamentally the same as the original production — man discovers wife is having an affair, man then plots for his wife’s murder, man then must evade the cops — Hatcher brings the story to the 21st century in many ways. Amy Reyes may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026 Killen strategically plots it out and gives us memorable supporting characters — Alice Braga as Creasy’s helper and driver, Scoot McNairy (great as usual) as a CIA field agent. Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 May 2026 In Part 2 the factional fighting at court is increased rather than lessened by the arrival of Margaret of Anjou, the new queen, who—together with her lover, the duke of Suffolk—plots against Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, and his ambitious duchess, Eleanor. Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plots
Noun
  • Twelve hundred conceptual categories showed up in just 490 papers and nowhere in the formal schemes, clustered in environmental drivers and ecological processes.
    John Drake, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • New York officials say the unit is a national leader that targets complex, high-impact corporate schemes, and Attorney General Letitia James vows legal action, calling the cutoff an outrageous political attack.
    Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Noun
  • His companies have redrawn the boundaries of multiple economic fields—the automotive industry, the aerospace sector, satellite communications—and his direct influence has helped transform the world’s most powerful government.
    Mark O’Connell, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
  • The magnetic pull for those whose ultimate prize is privacy and connection to nature is towards gardens, forests, fields and beachfronts that stretch into the distance, delineating possibilities.
    Nielsen Dinwoodie, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Noun
  • The legislation also seeks to limit large investors — those with at least 350 properties — from buying homes.
    Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 24 June 2026
  • The luxury market typically tops out in the $30-million to $40-million range in Orange County, though some properties are aiming higher, including a San Juan Capistrano ranch asking $85 million and an 11,500-square-foot mansion in Newport Coast listed for $68 million.
    Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • As a coastal town shaped by generations of immigrants, Half Moon Bay now has a new art display that serves as a reminder of the people and stories that continue to define the community.
    Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 27 June 2026
  • The board was also expected to vote Friday on a new social studies curriculum that links Bible stories with American history.
    Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
Noun
  • And thus, the Roswell UFO conspiracies were born.
    USA Today, USA Today, 24 June 2026
  • Jackson is charged with multiple drug trafficking conspiracies, providing contraband in prison, evidence tampering, firearm offenses, and operating unregistered drones.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • Once coal closure tracts are identified, the list grows as new closures and data corrections are rolled in.
    Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • The land was among the biggest tracts left in the area that had not been at least partially preserved, and the good news, conservation-wise, was that Soloviev had agreed to sell the development rights to the town for 75 percent of the land, meaning that most of it would remain farmland for good.
    Reeves Wiedeman, Curbed, 22 June 2026
Noun
  • Her death sparked weeks of protests nationwide, calling for an end to an increase in immigration enforcement actions.
    Gabriela Vidal, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • Knowing Brady and Sullivan have gone after so many years of us trying to get them out is great, but Daniel Kretinsky needs to put actions into words to keep our trust.
    Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • If using grounds, apply in 1 to 2-inch deep layers and make sure the coffee is spread in an unbroken line so slugs and snails won’t cross it.
    Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 3 July 2026
  • Set on nearly three acres, the approximately 6,100-square-foot residence featured six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, along with a semicircular living room, marble floors, and lush grounds anchored by a pool and loggia.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 3 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Plots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plots. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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