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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in conspiracy
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
a scheme to kidnap the president's daughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in plan
a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective
a scheme to upgrade the city's mass transit system
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 scheme
Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
Treasury Secretary Bessent called Minnesota ground zero for what may be the most egregious welfare scam in our nation's history to date; 85 of the 98 people who were charged by the Justice Department with this welfare scheme are Somali.
—CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
The defense countered that Dugan was not scheming to help the defendant escape, but was a busy state judge trying to follow emerging guidance on dealing with immigration arrests in the Milwaukee County courthouse.
—John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scheme
Noun
Communication is especially crucial when a team is experimenting through coverages, searching for a scheme that clicks, as the Bruins are.
—Verb
Chalamet embodies Marty’s arrant showmanship with an evident joy in performance, exactly as Marty himself schemes not only shamelessly but jubilantly.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for scheme
Noun
-
Over the course of their military demonstration, Roper’s men kill wandering father and son villagers, and Pine kills Corky in a violent fight, setting him up as an inside leak to keep his ruse alive.—
-
Behind the scenes, as reporters tried to substantiate the claims, the ruse continued — still with AI.—
Noun
-
In the show, Lower, 40, plays Helly Riggs/Helena Eagan, who tries to uncover the company's web of conspiracies with her coworkers.—
-
In their charging documents, prosecutors allege Maduro, his wife and his son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, engaged in a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy and partnered with cartels designated as terrorist groups.—
Noun
-
Dumas has worked for Valero for four years but just moved to the Benicia location from Arizona a year ago, just a few months before the energy company announced a possible plan to cease or idle operations.—
-
The plan is to develop a cost-effective, energy-efficient technology for making innovative plastics based on polybutylene succinate (PBS) which are made entirely out of organic waste.—
Verb
-
Bea incredulously finds out that Christy has been involved in a treasure hunt for years now, believing that there is a million dollars hidden somewhere in the state, planning and plotting her methods of finding it, and Christy is finally setting her plan in motion.—
-
But moderate House Republicans are plotting potential compromise measures with moderates in the Senate.—
Noun
-
This dish will do the trick with crispy chicken and fresh zucchini tossed in a tender linguine with a robust lemon flavor.—
-
But even an invitation to hang out again, perhaps paired with a gift card to a local lunch spot, could do the trick.—
Noun
-
Or Cenote, the Yucatan Peninsula hole with a massive ramp above the hole that takes different strategies depending on the pin location.—
-
Bond said the Hoosier Lottery would adopt the strategies other states employ, such as cross-promoting digital and retail tickets.—
Noun
-
At least one woman was dragged along the pavement as officers appeared to prepare additional crowd-control devices.—
-
In an interview with Interesting Engineering, Lou-Ambre Esnault, Reconcept, described the system as a multi-layered wellness environment rather than a single therapy device.—
Noun
-
The team has already developed a basic blueprint for this substance and applied for a patent.—
-
What the new blueprint looks like is still hazy, and there isn’t just one way anymore.—
Cite this Entry
“Scheme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scheme. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share