1
as in ruses
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
asking me to take her shopping turned out to be a ploy to get me to the surprise party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in sprees
a time or instance of carefree fun
wanted one grand ploy through Europe before settling down and raising a family
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 ploys
Lyman Ward played Ferris' dad, whose busy work schedule kept him conveniently distracted from his teenage son's ploys.
—
Emma Urdangen,
PEOPLE,
14 June 2026
No tactical ploys or tweaks could save him.
—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
While court orders that block counterfeiters can help to safeguard intellectual property, sometimes those counterfeiters simply turn to other aliases and cybersquatting ploys to continue their activities.
—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
14 May 2026
After several unsuccessful ploys by his henchmen to save his life — including one that would be attempted post-hanging — Cardinella was down to one last try.
—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
There’s the White House and its malicious megaphone of mindlessness; the generative AI advocates and their pushy, pathetic ploys; the Major League Baseball owners and their dedication to self-destruction.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
Their poverty, the fruit of Salieri’s malicious ploys, tests the limits of their endurance.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
There are numerous other bold characters getting tangled up in new ploys aimed at giving them a step up in a world that wants to keep them tamped down.
—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
Carr throws the event, Liberty shows up with bagpipers, but both ploys fall flat with Dina.
—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
Emma Urdangen,
PEOPLE,
14 June 2026
No tactical ploys or tweaks could save him.
—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
While court orders that block counterfeiters can help to safeguard intellectual property, sometimes those counterfeiters simply turn to other aliases and cybersquatting ploys to continue their activities.
—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
14 May 2026
After several unsuccessful ploys by his henchmen to save his life — including one that would be attempted post-hanging — Cardinella was down to one last try.
—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
There’s the White House and its malicious megaphone of mindlessness; the generative AI advocates and their pushy, pathetic ploys; the Major League Baseball owners and their dedication to self-destruction.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
Their poverty, the fruit of Salieri’s malicious ploys, tests the limits of their endurance.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
There are numerous other bold characters getting tangled up in new ploys aimed at giving them a step up in a world that wants to keep them tamped down.
—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
Carr throws the event, Liberty shows up with bagpipers, but both ploys fall flat with Dina.
—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ploys
Noun
-
Such offenders will use all different ruses to distract the victim, such as claiming to be utility workers, tree trimmers, or handymen working on neighbors' houses.
-
They are accused of using several ruses to force their way into people’s homes, assaulting unsuspecting residents and holding them hostage for their own money, and demanding access to their crypto accounts.
Noun
-
Singer Bradley Nowell drunk-steered his band through sordid anthems, crashing through references to classic ska and dancehall songs, shouting out Rudimentary Peni and Geto Boys, and re-setting the murder ballads and drug sprees of outlaw country in suburban California.
-
The surge in pink slips started in 2023, when companies that had gone on hiring sprees during the COVID-19 pandemic began to cut back.
Noun
-
Twelve hundred conceptual categories showed up in just 490 papers and nowhere in the formal schemes, clustered in environmental drivers and ecological processes.
-
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.
Noun
-
But none of that has happened, and Hamas rejected a new disarmament proposal in March that would force it to give up its tunnel network as well as rockets, heavy munitions, explosive devices and assault rifles before any Israel withdrawal.
-
This one from Amazon is only $36 and can keep your devices charged for up to one week on a single charge.
Noun
-
This month was all about the art choices—and a couple clever tricks, too.
-
Consider the four tricks designers keep up their sleeves for this exact situation.
Cite this Entry
“Ploys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ploys. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
