devised

verb

past tense of devise
as in concocted
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination she quickly devised a new scheme when the first one failed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 devised So in classic spy fashion, the group devised secret codes to communicate with one another, hidden in plain sight, so the KGB would be none the wiser — using series of notes embedded in their sheet music. — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026 Organized crime operations from several cities, including Chicago, New York and Detroit, had established control of casinos up and down the Vegas Strip and devised schemes to skim percentages of the cash under the noses of state regulators. — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 After decades of controversy, construction at Yucca Mountain was halted and to this day no permanent solution has been devised for America’s 90,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026 How Researchers Graded Big Tech's Surveillance Incogni’s researchers devised 11 tests of a chatbot’s privacy protection, divided into three main groups. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026 Now, a separate team has devised a similar attack against Grok. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026 Getty Images Scott Stornetta and Stuart Haber are two renowned founding fathers of Blockchain technology who devised the method of cryptographically linking records into a tamper-evident chain. — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026 The Revolutionary Guard has also devised new plans for further escalation including pre-emptive strikes. — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026 Engineers have devised a new way for astronauts to dry-clean their dirty laundry. — Rahul Rao, Space.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devised
  1. concocted
  2. invented
  3. constructed
  4. designed
Verb
  • In it, Bugliosi lays out the prosecutorial theory — one concocted to put away a man for murder who didn’t actually commit the crimes — that Manson was trying to jump-start a race war, called Helter Skelter.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The removal of Maelor, however, snowballed into this moment where that character’s absence didn’t allow for that horrific book moment to be realized, so another set of reasons was concocted.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of concocted
Verb
  • Davis and his lawyer, Michael Sanft, have centered their defense on the argument that Davis invented his accounts for personal advantage, entertainment and money.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • In 1994, as Chinese reformer Deng Xiaoping’s market liberalization unleashed a heady entrepreneurial spirit across the People’s Republic, Wang quit his job at a vocational college and invented the world’s first automatic soymilk maker.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of invented
Verb
  • Originally constructed in the 1860s to house two battalions of the British Army, Chelsea Barracks served as an important military base for more than 140 years before being decommissioned in 2008.
    — Nick Scott, Robb Report, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The group has constructed more than 820 all-terrain wheelchairs; fabricated 900 orthotics and prosthetics; and distributed more than 740 hearing aids.
    — Allie Torgan, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of constructed
Verb
  • That definition appears designed to keep participating firms focused on criminal enterprises and out of interstate conflicts.
    — Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Amazon, which has been making drone deliveries in Darlington since February, said its drone operated as designed and made a safe landing.
    — Annie Palmer, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of designed

Browse Nearby Words

devise
devised
devisee
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Devised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devised. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of devolve

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All