as in concocting
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
she quickly devised a new scheme when the first one failed
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Recent Examples of devising
Companies are actively devising strategies to counteract muscle loss in people taking the drugs.
—
Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025
Sondheim got to work at eight o’clock one night, devising a version of the murder game in which all the players would have to use their wits to untangle the mystery.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
With no one to help, Watney spends his solitary days tinkering — devising a way to grow potatoes in Martian soil, jury-rigging equipment, and solving one problem after another.
—Big Think, 26 Nov. 2025
Jesse Minter, the man tasked with devising a plan to slow down Rodgers when the Chargers play host to the Steelers on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium, will be 43 on May 9.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
Yet, after its ratification in 1870, Southern states set about trying to circumvent the amendment's intent by devising new ways to shape, control, and limit voting.
—Time, 29 Oct. 2025
For 39 years, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act has required redistricting institutions to consider racial and ethnic minority representation when devising congressional districts.
—Sam D. Hayes, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2025
The problem in devising such a tax is defining what constitutes a robot.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025
The movie strives to apply logic, inviting laughs (which are not unwelcome in the tense genre), but ultimately succeeds by devising a formula where two threats — ghosts and serial killers — come calling.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025
Sondheim got to work at eight o’clock one night, devising a version of the murder game in which all the players would have to use their wits to untangle the mystery.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
With no one to help, Watney spends his solitary days tinkering — devising a way to grow potatoes in Martian soil, jury-rigging equipment, and solving one problem after another.
—Big Think, 26 Nov. 2025
Jesse Minter, the man tasked with devising a plan to slow down Rodgers when the Chargers play host to the Steelers on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium, will be 43 on May 9.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
Yet, after its ratification in 1870, Southern states set about trying to circumvent the amendment's intent by devising new ways to shape, control, and limit voting.
—Time, 29 Oct. 2025
For 39 years, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act has required redistricting institutions to consider racial and ethnic minority representation when devising congressional districts.
—Sam D. Hayes, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2025
The problem in devising such a tax is defining what constitutes a robot.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025
The movie strives to apply logic, inviting laughs (which are not unwelcome in the tense genre), but ultimately succeeds by devising a formula where two threats — ghosts and serial killers — come calling.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devising
Verb
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So is facing a deluge of division title-winners who spent the offseason concocting new ways to beat them.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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Notably, the computers seem to have a knack for concocting bizarre physics experiments — designs that humans wouldn’t think of, which nevertheless work.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Monument Health plans to use the bond proceeds for acquiring, constructing, renovating, expanding and equipping various health care facilities in the Black Hills region, according to a public notice of the bonding package.—
Joshua Haiar,
States Newsroom,
9 Jan. 2026
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Chipotle Mexican Grill is constructing its athletic roster for 2026.—
Fielding Buck,
Oc Register,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This geometric architecture may even explain how complex organisms evolved so rapidly — not by inventing new genes, but by rearranging the ways existing ones are used.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2025
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But truths go ignored, the film argues, when everyone prefers inventing realities for themselves.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Perez does not break down training into physical and tactical work, instead designing complex exercises so players build fitness while practising real-game situations.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Bluegame made excellent use of the open-plan interior, designing a large, broad main salon into the footprint, with large windows.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devising. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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