ruse

noun

ˈrüs 

ˈrüz

: a wily subterfuge

Choose the Right Synonym for ruse

trick, ruse, stratagem, maneuver, artifice, wile, feint mean an indirect means to gain an end.

trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.

the tricks of the trade

ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.

the ruses of smugglers

stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.

the stratagem-filled game

maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.

last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy

artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention.

the clever artifices of the stage

wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.

used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself

feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.

a feint toward the enemy's left flank

Examples of ruse in a Sentence

His act was just a clever ruse to get me to go out with him.

Recent Examples on the Web

Vulture Parent Puppet The puppet ruse is designed to prevent the baby from imprinting on humans. —Amanda Kooser, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

Those ruses have spurred restrictive voting laws across the country, despite the failure over the years of anybody finding fraud happening beyond small and rare instances — and certainly not at the scale of deciding major elections. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2025

For reasons too eye-rolling to explain, Min and Angela must marry and commit to the ruse when Ja-Young arrives to investigate whether her grandson’s fiancée is a gold-digger. —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025

Following her interview with Meghan Markle, and other recent ruses, Winfrey lost all credibility by stumping for presidential candidate Kamala Harris and denying her remuneration, thus denying her true motives. —Armond White, National Review, 7 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French, roundabout path taken by fleeing game, trickery, from reuser

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ruse

• blues
• boos
• booze
• brews
• bruise
• chews
• choose
• chuse
• clews
• clues
• coups
• crews

Kids Definition

ruse

noun

ˈrüs 

ˈrüz

: a clever way to fool someone : trick

Geographical Definition

Ruse

geographical name

Ru·​se ˈrü-(ˌ)sā 

variants or Turkish Ruschuk

ru̇s-ˈchük 

city in northeastern Bulgaria on the Danube River south of Bucharest population 148,500