1
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
an e-mail scheme to trick unwary Internet users into disclosing passwords and financial information
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2
as in conspiracy
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
a scheme to kidnap the president's daughter
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3
as in plan
a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective
a scheme to upgrade the city's mass transit system
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as in to plot
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
the town inspector had schemed to overlook the contractor's code violations in exchange for a substantial bribe
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scheme
Dave Smith, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
The scheme came to light thanks to monitoring services that track bets and look for unusual patterns.
—NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
Dissecting film and scheming up plays went from duty to obsession.
—Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scheme
Noun
Police are looking for the employee, who no longer works for Avis Budget and is wanted on grand larceny and scheme to defraud charges.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
The scheme came to light thanks to monitoring services that track bets and look for unusual patterns.
—NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
In Return From the Ashes (1965), Eggar schemed to murder her stepmother (Ingrid Thulin), a concentration camp survivor.
—Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
Dissecting film and scheming up plays went from duty to obsession.
—Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scheme
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scheme
Noun
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But federal prosecutors in Brooklyn say the ex-athletes and all the other players were in on a ruse, using technology to rig the outcome.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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But the ruse hits a snag when Taylor's boss (Tia Mowry) starts to question Hugh Mann's credentials, and Taylor starts dating the son of the resort owner (New Amsterdam's Ryan Eggold).—
Breanne L. Heldman,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Jones, now 22, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, conspiracy and two weapons offenses.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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But last week, the company was declared a transnational criminal organization by United States authorities, and Chen was charged in absentia in New York with money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy, along with several associates.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The municipal panel that oversees the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority endorsed the five-year rate plan in June.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Next summer, the plan is for a barge to bring over the drilling rig to start the first well.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On Monday, Tchiroma accused the government of plotting to arrest him and posted images on social media of snipers near his residence - claims that could not be independently verified.—
NPR,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Identify fundamentally sound equities or ETFs with steady uptrends and plot their 50-day EMA.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That means more than one of every eight of Kroger's 103 stores in its Cincinnati-Dayton division (which includes Northern Kentucky) have the digital devices so far.—
Alexander Coolidge,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
23 Oct. 2025
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Nielsen, which tracks television ratings, now includes more modern devices in its tracking, an adjustment that has been expected to show higher sports viewership across the board.—
The Athletic MLB Staff,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The approach mirrors Xbox’s Play Anywhere strategy and recent messaging that strict exclusivity is outdated.—
Alex Harrington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Oct. 2025
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While the Hong Kong listing should enhance the company’s liquidity and visibility, Zephirin added that a valuation re-rating is unlikely without meaningful gains in capital efficiency or strategy execution.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating are also on this month's calendar for the shelter's young residents, who range from under a year old to 18.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
21 Oct. 2025
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The trick was just finding that next pile of exorbitant wealth and luring it in with our siren song of cultural relevance and creative ambition.—
John Lopez,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Toni Townes-Whitley didn’t follow a step-by-step blueprint to reach the top of the defense industry.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Gathering Communist Party elites will review China’s upcoming five-year plan, an economic blueprint whose direction is strictly dictated by top leadership in the authoritarian state.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scheme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scheme. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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