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
  • Elmosnino is an amusing villain, making his most self-serving machinations sound reasonable.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
  • To say that the delay of Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern is associated with these political machinations is hardly an insight.
    — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 29 June 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
  • Lai, the founder of Hong Kong’s now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted on charges including conspiring with foreign forces and publishing seditious material.
    — Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 5 July 2026
  • Plots and machinations have been set in motion in King’s Landing as well, where Alicent conspires against her own sons, sending Aemond out of the city and paving the way for Rhaenyra to take the city.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of conspire
Noun
  • Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in federal court during an afternoon hearing in the more than 20-month-long corruption case.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • After a chance meeting saving the life of a reporter, Dez stumbles across a vast conspiracy and now must stop the forces intent on keeping their secrets safe.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 6 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 12 Jul. 2026.

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