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
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2
as in sprees
a time or instance of carefree fun
wanted one grand ploy through Europe before settling down and raising a family
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Recent Examples of ploys
Workers in the scam compounds are often trafficked from third countries, usually under the pretense of a lucrative job offer, and then forced to scam people online with investment pitches or romantic ploys.
—
Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
Scammers are improving their ploys to be even more convincing.
—Summer Stephan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
As with all Survivor ploys, if the rules don’t explicitly forbid it — heck, get in there and work it to your advantage!
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 24 Sep. 2025
Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
Scammers are improving their ploys to be even more convincing.
—Summer Stephan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
As with all Survivor ploys, if the rules don’t explicitly forbid it — heck, get in there and work it to your advantage!
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ploys
Noun
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Many suspect a spam call and don't pick up the phone, leading foundation staff to sometimes devise ruses.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
8 Oct. 2025
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Episode 4 finds both Ellen and Julia throwing themselves headlong into plans that require them to keep up major ruses.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This monster is the precursor to slasher villains like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, who lumber along on their killing sprees, though this blueprint is far more sympathetic.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
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The 23-year-old had spent the year of 2025 making a name for himself, with historic solos—and soloing sprees—from Alaska to Patagonia.—
Maya Silver,
Outside,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Through these schemes, people invest a significant amount of money into a country – with some countries like Greece having a minimum of €250,000 (about $290,357) – and are allowed to work and live there.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
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Former player and assistant coach Damon Jones was arrested in relation to both schemes.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Turns out it’s finished ahead of schedule and already shipping the servers, which will support Apple Intelligence services on consumer devices like iPhones, according to a new Fox Business report.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
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That means more than one of every eight of Kroger's 103 stores in its Cincinnati-Dayton division (which includes Northern Kentucky) have the digital devices so far.—
Alexander Coolidge,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Halloween’s history, from tricks to treats Halloween is rooted in the ancient Celtic ritual of Samhain, marking the harvest and coming winter – and few know the shortcomings of the cold more than Minnesotans.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
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Critic Dwight Macdonald later wrote that Keaton’s singular screen-in-screen transformation made similar tricks by Surrealist giants Dalí, Buñuel, and Cocteau timid by comparison.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ploys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ploys. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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