the plot thickens

phrase

—used to say that the story in a novel, movie, etc., becomes more complicated or interesting

The plot thickens when the audience learns that the missing woman used to work for the FBI.

—sometimes used in a usually humorous way to talk about things that happen in real life

So you've worked with him before? Ah, the plot thickens.

Examples of the plot thickens in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mid-month, the plot thickens as Saturn, your traditional ruler, enters Aries on February 13th, followed by its conjunction with Neptune on February 20th. — Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 29 Jan. 2026

As the weeks of the NFL regular season dwindle, the plot thickens and the stakes rise even higher. — Mike Jones, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025

As the plot thickens, personal demons, Soviet legacies and local superstitions collide with devastating consequences. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025

These are already themes that define the vampire archetype, but when transitioning a sign like Capricorn, which is symbolic of time, legacy and mortality, the plot thickens as these are the very things vampires defy. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025

Rhymes for the plot thickens

• chickens
• quickens
• sickens