as in conspiracy
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 machination
Alongside his riveting dispatches on Moscow’s missile blitzes on Ukraine - and threats of nuclear attacks on any Western ally coming to its aid - Dickinson has also been charting Putin’s musings and machinations on recreating the Russian Empire.
—
Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Through off-screen machinations, Kate also uprooted young Henry — who was probably doing really well in Madre Linda — and plopped him into their life.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
Now, because of all of these CBA machinations, with the repeater tax, first apron, second apron and penalties that come with it, there’s a different thought process.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 May 2025
But, as stated above with any Kevin Durant possibilities, pick prudence certainly does have to be part of any Heat transaction machinations going forward.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for machination
Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Through off-screen machinations, Kate also uprooted young Henry — who was probably doing really well in Madre Linda — and plopped him into their life.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
Now, because of all of these CBA machinations, with the repeater tax, first apron, second apron and penalties that come with it, there’s a different thought process.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 May 2025
But, as stated above with any Kevin Durant possibilities, pick prudence certainly does have to be part of any Heat transaction machinations going forward.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for machination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for machination
Noun
-
Henley was indicted in March on federal charges of fraud, robbery, extortion and running a racketeering conspiracy.—
Colleen Shalby,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2025
-
Boeing previously agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a deal that included a $487.2 million fine and mandated three years of oversight by an independent monitor.—
Jesus Mesa
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
That includes knowing the scheme in the run game, being violent at the point of attack.—
Dan Wiederer,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
-
The scheme was investigated by several federal agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Sure, the plot’s kind of a mess, but warrior Alice is an empowering turn while Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter’s big-headed Red Queen are splendidly strange.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
-
The stunts have become so vital to the franchise that Cruise and McQuarrie have taken to planning them first, and then figuring out the plot later.—
Tyler Foggatt,
New Yorker,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Machination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/machination. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share