as in prank
an act that is used to fool someone
His act was just a clever ruse to get me to go out with him.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruse
However, the claim is a ruse to revictimize those who have already lost money to scams.
—
Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
Vulture Parent Puppet The puppet ruse is designed to prevent the baby from imprinting on humans.
—Amanda Kooser, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Those ruses have spurred restrictive voting laws across the country, despite the failure over the years of anybody finding fraud happening beyond small and rare instances — and certainly not at the scale of deciding major elections.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2025
For reasons too eye-rolling to explain, Min and Angela must marry and commit to the ruse when Ja-Young arrives to investigate whether her grandson’s fiancée is a gold-digger.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruse
Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
Vulture Parent Puppet The puppet ruse is designed to prevent the baby from imprinting on humans.
—Amanda Kooser, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Those ruses have spurred restrictive voting laws across the country, despite the failure over the years of anybody finding fraud happening beyond small and rare instances — and certainly not at the scale of deciding major elections.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2025
For reasons too eye-rolling to explain, Min and Angela must marry and commit to the ruse when Ja-Young arrives to investigate whether her grandson’s fiancée is a gold-digger.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruse
Noun
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The couple, who have four kids, loves sharing their love on TikTok, so after the prank, Abbie decided to compile some of the photos together and post them.—
Jordan Greene,
People.com,
26 May 2025
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Jax dialed the number to prank call Sanders during the draft.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
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As an escaped convict posing as a beloved preacher, and as his gentle, upright twin, Robeson embodies a devastating split between appearance and truth, and whose uncanny doubling plays out in a community shaped by racial violence, spiritual deception, and economic precarity.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
21 May 2025
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Ellie, however, cannot abide Joel’s deception, and interrupts to tell the truth to Gail, who then slaps Joel and tells him to leave.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
19 May 2025
Noun
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The secret trick of reconciliation is that Congress gets a chance to add tweaks to the budget — to reconcile it — twice every federal fiscal year.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
30 May 2025
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The trick was to keep them distant and yet connected, and find ways to not make the audience wait to see their chemistry, because the John Corbett and Sarah Jessica Parker chemistry is undeniable and a gift.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Remember when Russia was that pesky geopolitical force who’s own constant secrecy and subterfuge brought about the downfall of its imperial ambitions?—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
8 Mar. 2025
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But this subterfuge is perhaps the very substance of the paintings.—
Zoë Hopkins,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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For people like Soriano, however, the elections are about more than political stratagem and determining which family holds the most nominal power.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
13 May 2025
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The scene is straight out of a stratagem by Pier Paolo Pasolini (Bertolucci’s mentor), but Palud takes it literally without applying comparable ideological critique to the rest of her film.—
Armond White,
National Review,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruse. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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