as in intrigue
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Recent Examples of counterplot
Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2019
There’s something comforting about the normalcy of plot and counterplot, action and intrigue.
—Mike Hale, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2017
Noun
Bit by bit, the castle at Elsinore (broodingly rendered by scenic designer Lee Savage) turns into a stage for life-and-death plots and counterplots.
—Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2019
There’s something comforting about the normalcy of plot and counterplot, action and intrigue.
—Mike Hale, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterplot
Noun
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After cutting Bobby Okereke, the Giants are hunting down a premier off-ball linebacker, and no prospect has offered as much intrigue at the position since Devin White in 2019.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Mar. 2026
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But fans of schoolyard intrigue (and thus literary scandal) will be disappointed by the biography’s respectful sense of duty toward its subject.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This prompts James and Soames to plot Jo’s ousting from the company so Soames may assume the role of chairman.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
22 Mar. 2026
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Alexandre Dumas’s novel of identity and revenge gets a big-budget remake with Sam Claflin starring as Edmond Dantès, a sailor wrongly imprisoned in an island fortress who, after his escape and subsequent treasure finding, plots his vengeance.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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As the 2010s went on, the machinations of reality shows became repetitive and transparent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
-
For the last five years, we have been repeatedly treated to weird machinations by Mayor Todd Gloria.—
Harvey Levine,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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San Francisco jurors stopped short of finding the Texas billionaire intentionally schemed to defraud investors.—
Staff,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
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But the show instantly makes a rod for its own back by waiting until Episode 3 to turn its hero into the Count and get all the treasure-hunting, high society-infiltrating, and Machiavellian scheming underway.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This claim swayed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to note this version of the administration’s fabrication in his dissent, which will be forever linked to this administration’s subterfuge.—
Mark Pirie,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
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Both nations are among the tournament's top contenders, which made the last few practices stateside simmering with subterfuge.—
Ren Clayton,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Conspiracy charge The district attorney's office said Lynch, from jail, allegedly conspired with another individual to have Finn's family's home burglarized.—
Katie Houlis,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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The three men are each charged with a count of conspiring to violate the Export Controls Reform Act, carrying a maximum prison term of 20 years, if convicted.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Austin Lynch, 18, was arraigned Friday for conspiracy in the fourth degree, the Suffolk County district attorney said.—
Katie Houlis,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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The anti-graft agency also arrested 23 people on suspicion of offenses such as bribery and conspiracy to defraud.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The entire deal felt cheesy and contrived.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The ice bucket set-up for their initial confrontation felt contrived and Vida and Dodie’s dramatic actions involving their hotel room door felt out of character.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterplot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterplot. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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