1
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
an e-mail scheme to trick unwary Internet users into disclosing passwords and financial information
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2
as in conspiracy
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
a scheme to kidnap the president's daughter
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3
as in plan
a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective
a scheme to upgrade the city's mass transit system
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as in to plot
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
the town inspector had schemed to overlook the contractor's code violations in exchange for a substantial bribe
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scheme
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 22 May 2025
The second crime scheme also led to several deaths and at least one arrest.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 21 May 2025
Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 1 May 2025
The imperialists never stop scheming against China.
—Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scheme
Noun
Things get messy as Megan commits to the increasingly elaborate scheme and grapples with the morality of her actions.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 22 May 2025
The second crime scheme also led to several deaths and at least one arrest.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 21 May 2025
Verb
Mary’s only recourse is to try scheming with Kamilla and Star, the latter of which brands their erstwhile underdog alliance as piranhas, small and poised to attack.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 1 May 2025
The imperialists never stop scheming against China.
—Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scheme
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scheme
Noun
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Important claims, like whether or not the Los Angeles wildfires were merely a ruse to hide pedophiles.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
18 May 2025
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But a Southern California man and his co-conspirators devised an elaborate ruse — involving a boatload of fake orders and manipulation of the company’s software — that netted them millions, prosecutors say.—
Kaitlyn Huamani,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2025
Noun
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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
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Related Stories Cannes 2025 Palme d’Or Contenders Ranked: Who Will Win the Top Prize? ‘The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo’ Wins Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes 2025 Honey is drawn into a conspiracy of sorts when a woman who reached out to her for help ends up dead at the bottom of a cliff.—
Esther Zuckerman,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
Noun
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But Andrea Jenkins, who represents the area and supports the city's plan, said residents around the square want vehicle traffic.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
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His evil plan is to conquer the microchip market by creating earthquakes and floods that will destroy most of the San Francisco Bay area.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 May 2025
Verb
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Artillery missions had been plotted the night before.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 May 2025
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The filmmaker puts aside the self-reflexive storytelling that has marked much of his work since he was first arrested in 2010, delivering a straightforward narrative that’s plotted like a good thriller but builds into a stark condemnation of abusive power.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2025
Noun
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At that point, the OS will be fairly mature and connected to all the important devices.—
Daisuke Takimoto,
Wired News,
27 May 2025
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This method typically includes large volumes of granular data such as cookies, device IDs and timestamps across multiple channels.—
Rahul Wankhede,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Amy Cameron – an executive, writer and producer – and Tassie Cameron, a showrunner and executive producer – founded Cameron Pictures and manage it alongside executive producer Alex Patrick, who leads on strategy and business and legal affairs.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
26 May 2025
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What happens next? Kennedy has stated that a follow-up report outlining a strategy and potential policy reforms for addressing childhood chronic illness will be released in mid-August 2025.—
Paul Dawson,
The Conversation,
26 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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Turn Strong Articles Into How-To Or Best-Practice Guides One of my favorite tricks is transforming strong articles into resources that stay relevant long-term, like how-to guides or best practices.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Noun
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This marks a transition for Robinhood, from a mobile brokerage to a potential regulatory blueprint builder.—
Sandy Carter,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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This allows the unit to do double duty as a single-ear Bluetooth earpiece and microphone for taking calls while looking up construction blueprints or deployment plans on the phone.—
Paul Ridden
May 19,
New Atlas,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scheme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scheme. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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