stratagem

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noun strat·a·gem \ 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

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Examples of stratagem in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of stratagem from the Web

That's a VERY overblown way of thinking of course, for a lot of different reasons, but the stratagem does have merit, in that the stakes and the story are presented in dramatic fashion.

— will nevin, OregonLive.com, "(Re)born into the mob: Author Paul Tobin on his upcoming series 'Made Men'," 22 Aug. 2017
The groups, Grove Watch and the South Grove Neighborhood Association, uncovered erroneous approvals by city officials stratagems by developers to exploit regulatory loopholes.

— andres viglucci, miamiherald, "Tree-devouring “white boxes” invade lush Coconut Grove, and the locals revolt," 21 July 2017
Hence, Ms. Knight Pulliam’s dismaying deployment, seemingly, as an instrument of stratagem.

— wesley morris, New York Times, "How to Think About Bill Cosby and ‘The Cosby Show’," 18 June 2017
Instead of maximizing pill profits, his job is to save millions of dollars by educating doctors about expensive prescriptions and the stratagems used to sell them.

— NBC News, "Former Pharma Rep Now Helps Doctors Save Money on Drugs," 9 June 2017
Instead of maximizing pill profits, his job is to save millions of dollars by educating doctors about expensive prescriptions and the stratagems used to sell them.

— NBC News, "Former Pharma Rep Now Helps Doctors Save Money on Drugs," 9 June 2017
Wily Odysseus uses the answer as a successful stratagem to escape the Cyclops’ grasp, but, abandoned by the gods and his relatives and friends, Orestes confronts the reality of nullity.

— steven g. kellman, The Christian Science Monitor, "'House of Names' is Colm Tóibín's take on the House of Atreus," 9 June 2017
Instead of maximizing pill profits, his job is to save millions of dollars by educating doctors about expensive prescriptions and the stratagems used to sell them.

— NBC News, "Former Pharma Rep Now Helps Doctors Save Money on Drugs," 9 June 2017
Instead of maximizing pill profits, his job is to save millions of dollars by educating doctors about expensive prescriptions and the stratagems used to sell them.

— NBC News, "Former Pharma Rep Now Helps Doctors Save Money on Drugs," 9 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stratagem.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

A "stratagem" is any clever scheme - sometimes one that's part of an overall "strategy" (i.e., a carefully worked out plan of action). Clearly, we no longer limit ourselves to the original military sense of "stratagem" as 15th-century users of the term did. The military meaning can be traced back to the word's Greek ancestor strategema, which is itself based on strategein, meaning "to act as a general." "Strategein" in turn comes from "strategos" ("general"), which comes from "stratos" ("army") and "agein" ("to lead"). "Strategos" is an ancestor of "strategy" as well.

Origin and Etymology 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

stratagem Synonyms

Synonyms

artifice, device, dodge, fetch, flimflam, gambit, gimmick, jig, juggle, knack, play, ploy, scheme, shenanigan, sleight, trick, wile

Related Words

bluff, end run, feint; cheating, chicanery, cozenage, craft, crookery, cunning, deception, dupery, duplicity, fakery, jugglery, legerdemain, skulduggery (or skullduggery), subterfuge, swindling, trickery; fraud, gaff, hoax, sham, swindle; blind, front, smoke screen

Synonym Discussion of stratagem

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.