as in conspiracy
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed
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Recent Examples of machination
That is because Deadline is checking out the follow-up to John Morton’s BAFTA-winning BBC satirical comedies Twenty Twelve and W1A, shows that have landed cult status for their excruciating ode to Britishness and in-depth examination of the behind-the-scenes machinations of public institutions.
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Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
The indictment — and the machinations that led to it — are the latest, and arguably most concerning, example of what many legal observers point to as the politicization and weaponization of the department under Bondi.
—Elena Moore, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
Music industry machinations are mostly to blame; a higher supply of albums means more sales, which translates into chart performance and popularity and plain old checks to cash.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 1 Oct. 2025
Through Jesan’s machinations, it is finally revealed that the Queen Dowager and many court officials campaigned for the execution.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for machination
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
The indictment — and the machinations that led to it — are the latest, and arguably most concerning, example of what many legal observers point to as the politicization and weaponization of the department under Bondi.
—Elena Moore, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
Music industry machinations are mostly to blame; a higher supply of albums means more sales, which translates into chart performance and popularity and plain old checks to cash.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 1 Oct. 2025
Through Jesan’s machinations, it is finally revealed that the Queen Dowager and many court officials campaigned for the execution.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for machination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for machination
Noun
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Jones, now 22, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, conspiracy and two weapons offenses.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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But last week, the company was declared a transnational criminal organization by United States authorities, and Chen was charged in absentia in New York with money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy, along with several associates.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In the below example, against Real Oviedo’s zonal scheme protecting the six-yard box, three players run away from goal and one to the near-post to attack Marcus Rashford’s outswinger, resulting in Araujo scoring.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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All of that has left the Heat seeking answers in the immediate aftermath of Rozier’s Thursday arrest stemming from his alleged involvement in a sports betting scheme.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Once written, the script’s fantastic promise distracted its readers from the fatal holes in its plot.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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Set in the English countryside, the film uses the classic plot of a lower class criminal working his way up through the hierarchy in order to extract laughs from an ensemble of eccentric aristocrats.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Machination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/machination. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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