as in concocted
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
she quickly devised a new scheme when the first one failed
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Recent Examples of devised
Outside of the theory itself being devised by conscious humans using their brains, there’s scant reason to think so.
—
Lee Billings, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2026
Trump has instead engaged in a clumsy cover-up, insisting that the files are both a fantastical hoax devised by his enemies and also too boring to even merit discussion.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026
In the 210-square-meter Georgian suite, Michelle Wu has devised an impeccable meld of Victorian heritage with a light touch of chinoiserie.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Jan. 2026
In the 19th century, the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace devised his own theory of evolution, independent of Charles Darwin, while visiting the region to research his book, The Malay Archipelago.
—Gisela Williams, Travel + Leisure, 8 Jan. 2026
And to that end, the Islamic Republic may have devised a failsafe for itself against popular anger.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Last summer, researchers devised a method to translate internal representations of sentences from one language model to another.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 7 Jan. 2026
As with Sátántangó, Tarr devised exquisite tracking shots that seemed to float through János’ unhappy universe, delivering one knockout image after another.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026
Each performance is different, devised by a rotating cast of participants; for instance, one Armageddon lineup featured a heel in the form of an ICE agent.
—Elyssa Goodman, Them., 23 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devised
Verb
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In exchange for not being charged with a DUI, the family’s lawyer concocted a deal in which Skakel was sent to the controversial Élan School in Maine in an effort to correct his unruly behavior.—
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Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report concocted this trade idea that sees the Lakers land and shore up both their frontcourt and backcourt, the Dallas Mavericks duo of former All-Star Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford.—
Verb
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Is this new cookie a tribute to William Dreyer, who is rumored to have invented Rocky Road in Oakland back in 1929?—
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And the telephone had just been invented that year, so few could call the Chicago Tribune and complain about not having the Cubs score in their edition.—
Verb
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The wide-leg pants in this matching set are high-waisted with an elastic drawstring waistband for comfort, and are constructed with two side pockets for storage.—
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Gothic architecture, on the other hand, focused on height and light; despite being constructed from heavy stone, Gothic cathedrals seem to defy the laws of gravity.—
Verb
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Having designed dozens of homes and studied many more, interior designers become accustomed to spotting some of the same home accessories over and over again.—
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Today’s pairs are built for all conditions, designed to carry you through long days without blisters or fuss, while still looking effortless.—
Cite this Entry
“Devised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devised. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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