Test Your Vocabulary

Take Our 10-Question Quiz

Name That Thing

Take our visual vocab quiz

Test Your Knowledge »

True or False?

A quick quiz about stuff worth knowing

Take It Now »

Join Us on FB & Twitter

Get the Word of the Day and More

Facebook | Twitter

stratagem


strat·a·gem

noun \ˈstra-tə-jəm, -ˌjem\

Definition of STRATAGEM

1
a : an artifice or trick in war for deceiving and outwitting the enemy b : a cleverly contrived trick or scheme for gaining an end
2
: skill in ruses or trickery

Examples of STRATAGEM

  1. <tried various stratagems to get the cat into the carrier, but the feisty feline was wise to them all>

Origin of STRATAGEM

Italian stratagemma, from Latin strategema, from Greek stratēgēma, from stratēgein to be a general, maneuver, from stratēgos general, from stratos camp, army (akin to Latin stratus, past participle, spread out) + agein to lead — more at stratum, agent
First Known Use: 15th century

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: stratagemical
Previous Word in the Dictionary: strass
All Words Near: stratagem

Seen & Heard

What made you want to look up stratagem? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).