1
as in ruse
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 spree
a time or instance of carefree fun
wanted one grand ploy through Europe before settling down and raising a family
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ploy
Carr throws the event, Liberty shows up with bagpipers, but both ploys fall flat with Dina.
—
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The sole purpose of this ploy is to avoid the two-thirds vote threshold required for taxes legally bound to be used for a specific purpose.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025
Some Democrats argue that the cuts were a political ploy to raise the pressure to end the government shutdown.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 11 Nov. 2025
The crimes with which she has been charged are trumped up and her arrest is a cynical ploy by the junta headed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to cling onto power.
—Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ploy
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The sole purpose of this ploy is to avoid the two-thirds vote threshold required for taxes legally bound to be used for a specific purpose.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025
Some Democrats argue that the cuts were a political ploy to raise the pressure to end the government shutdown.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 11 Nov. 2025
The crimes with which she has been charged are trumped up and her arrest is a cynical ploy by the junta headed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to cling onto power.
—Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ploy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ploy
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.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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Odysseus, the Ithacan warrior who is as celebrated for craftiness as Achilles is for brute strength, devises a clever ruse in which the Greeks place a giant wooden horse outside Troy’s walls and pretend to sail away.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Luchin was charged with the spree in state court last year, but now federal prosecutors have taken the reins.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
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The robbery was believed to be one of eight Chicago-area bank heists pulled by Erickson in a 23-month crime spree that netted nearly $180,000.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Cherki is a dying breed of player, particularly now he’s been transferred to a Premier League which has moved away from off-the-cuff dribblers and towards set-play schemes.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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Another worker operates the machine’s main controller, using a programming scheme for 3D printers called G-code to tell the printer what to build and how to build it.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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This dish will do the trick with crispy chicken and fresh zucchini tossed in a tender linguine with a robust lemon flavor.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
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But even an invitation to hang out again, perhaps paired with a gift card to a local lunch spot, could do the trick.—
Mandy Len Catron,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ploy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ploy. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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