as in to concoct
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
she quickly devised a new scheme when the first one failed
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Recent Examples of devise
The other bills would have the Legislative Analyst’s Office study how the plan aligns with the state budget (AB 2149), devise a dashboard to inform the public about progress (AB 2514) and empower a new commission to oversee the plan (AB 2202).
—
Dan Walters, Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2026
The Tonight Show devised a game that seems more at home on Nickelodeon than NBC.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
There were also signs of progress on property taxes as lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee advanced their tax cut proposal — although their plan remains far from the one their Senate counterparts are devising.
—Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, 19 Mar. 2026
Along with Luz’s friend, Donnie (Wes Chatham), Aunt Clare helped Luz devise a system to seek vengeance on each person on a kill list who was known to be a part of Durand’s trafficking circle, excluding herself.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for devise
Dan Walters, Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2026
The Tonight Show devised a game that seems more at home on Nickelodeon than NBC.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
There were also signs of progress on property taxes as lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee advanced their tax cut proposal — although their plan remains far from the one their Senate counterparts are devising.
—Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, 19 Mar. 2026
Along with Luz’s friend, Donnie (Wes Chatham), Aunt Clare helped Luz devise a system to seek vengeance on each person on a kill list who was known to be a part of Durand’s trafficking circle, excluding herself.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for devise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devise
Verb
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Police said Wang had slashed their throats and concocted a story about arriving home and shooting at a fleeing intruder responsible for the killings.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, scientists identified the virus, deciphered its secrets, concocted a vaccine, put it into production, and rendered the disease manageable – all within a year.—
David Blumenthal,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That’s when Jack discovers the tin full of custom drugs that were left in their room by the demented chemistry major who used to live there (the reliably hilarious Sarah Sherman, appearing in a step-by-step YouTube tutorial about surviving the pills her character invented).—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
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Hal Nelson, Corning executive vice president and chief operating officer, emphasized that Corning invented the first low-loss optical fiber more than 50 years ago, which revolutionized telecommunications.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Garcia went on to exclusively play instruments constructed by Irwin for the next two decades.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The scenarios were constructed so that faithfully completing the task would result in the other model being shut down.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devise. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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