counterplot 1 of 2

noun

Definition of counterplotnext
as in intrigue

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counterplot

2 of 2

verb

as in to plot

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of counterplot
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
  1. intrigue
  2. plot
  3. machination
  4. scheme
  5. subterfuge
  6. conspire
  7. conspiracy
  8. contrive
Noun
  • The resulting free kick provided a bit of intrigue as it was deflected and bounced around the box before being cleared by the Paraguayan defense.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • More intrigue may come in center field, where Meyers had made a team-high 36 starts.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of intrigue
Verb
  • Emboldened by her sudden fame, Tyler signed to Sony in the early 1980s and, anxious to reinvent herself, petitioned the bombastic songwriter Jim Steinman to plot her a pivot to arena rock.
    — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026
  • But now, Yepez sits in jail — accused of plotting to kill one of her employees.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of plot
Noun
  • Still, similar machinations continue to be played out by both parties.
    — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2026
  • Today's stock-market market conversation is dominated by structural dynamics, index machinations and mechanical flows the way World Cup chatter fixates on officiating decisions and bracket construction.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 7 July 2026
Definition of machination
Verb
  • The narrator, an American, is looking back on a sojourn in Tuscany when he was hired to work at the home of a scheming 92-year-old baronessa.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 8 July 2026
  • Instead of correcting the error, the scheming matriarch hides him in the attic and collects a life insurance payout.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026
Definition of scheme
Noun
  • The majority sees this as subterfuge.
    — Morgan Marietta, The Conversation, 26 June 2026
  • The Blacks’ defeat would be certain if not for dragons and subterfuge.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 June 2026
Definition of subterfuge
Verb
  • Brown is charged with murder, carrying a firearm without a license, being an armed career criminal, and conspiring to commit murder.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • But elite club soccer and the Major League Soccer academies have conspired to kill it by prohibiting their players from participating in high school or middle school programs.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
Definition of conspire
Noun
  • No, but there were certain things that came up about the wider conspiracy.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026
  • The ruling covers four Proud Boys whose sentences Trump commuted, while a separate bid to overturn Oath Keepers’ seditious conspiracy convictions have yet to be decided.
    — Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
Definition of conspiracy
Verb
  • Both those courts upheld the 2022 statewide congressional map that DeSantis contrived to purge a Black congressman, Al Lawson of Tallahassee.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2026
  • The work lies in making that interface feel truthful rather than contrived.
    — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Definition of contrive

Browse Nearby Words

counterplans
counterplot
counterplots
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Cite this Entry

“Counterplot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterplot. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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