Synonyms of ploy

ploy

noun

ˈplȯi 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruse
• scheme
• trick
• device
• stratagem
• gambit
• gimmick
• jig
• dodge
• fetch
• knack
• sleight of hand
• bluff
• flimflam
• wile
• sleight
• deception
• play
• subterfuge
• cunning
• artifice
• hoax
• trickery
• juggle
• shenanigan
• feint
• duplicity
• swindle
• end run
• chicanery
• swindling
• jugglery
• cheating
• fakery
• skulduggery
• legerdemain
• fraud
• sham
• cozenage
• gaff
• blind
• craft
• smoke screen
• crookery
• dupery
• front

2

as in spree

a time or instance of carefree fun

wanted one grand ploy through Europe before settling down and raising a family

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spree
• lark
• fling
• romp
• idyll
• prank
• revel
• frisk
• binge
• gambol
• caper
• escapade
• rollick
• frolic
• festivity
• bender
• souse
• bum
• splore
• diversion
• antic
• amusement
• toot
• carouse
• indulgence
• shenanigan(s)
• enjoyment
• field day
• merrymaking
• entertainment
• merriment
• bust
• brannigan
• monkeyshine(s)
• pleasure
• recreation
• self-indulgence

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ploy

Armstrong unsuccessfully led a public campaign to be reinstated, saying his firing had been a ploy by federal officials who oversee OPD’s affairs to remain in power. — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

Taylor loves her Easter eggs, and there are rumors flying that Madison Square Garden is simply a bold ploy to redirect fans’ (and the media’s) attention away from where her true nuptials will be. — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 1 July 2026

The Postal Service ploy is deservedly under attack in the courts, where Trump is zero for 10 in lawsuits demanding state voter rolls. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 25 June 2026

But Kane’s continuing NFL fandom is not just a gimmick or a ploy to ‘break America’. — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 23 June 2026