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
The ploys of these desperate grandparents is where the actors do their best work.
—
David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Carr throws the event, Liberty shows up with bagpipers, but both ploys fall flat with Dina.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ploys
Noun
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The New York Colored American reported that some offers of short-term work for Black men — moving livestock to or from Kentucky, for example — were ruses that ended with kidnappings.—
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Many suspect a spam call and don't pick up the phone, leading foundation staff to sometimes devise ruses.—
Noun
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So far, federal prosecutors have convicted 62 people in connection to the scandal, which tops the list of the nation's most costly COVID-era fraud sprees.—
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Despite the designations, the gangs have continued to carry out violent killing sprees, as well as rapes and kidnappings.—
Noun
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The 40-year-old cooks up ways to make quarterbacks miserable in his sleep, devising schemes that are meant to lure as much as they are intended to confuse.—
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More than 90 people, most with ties to the state’s Somali community, have been charged in fraud schemes targeting social services.—
Noun
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Travel safer and smarter in 2026 by stocking up on these 15 best personal safety devices for hotel rooms, Airbnbs, and even your own home.—
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Some brands, like Déesse, share before-and-after imagery of people who’ve used their devices consistently over weeks or months.—
Noun
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There is no one organizational system that fits every family and lifestyle, but there are some tips and tricks that help.—
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So what are their go-to tricks for creating a space worth hibernating in?—
Cite this Entry
“Ploys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ploys. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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