as in schemes
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of machinations
For all the machinations, though, this dealmaking could happen without Greenland changing hands.
—
Joshua Hunt,
Vanity Fair,
17 June 2026
Should Wiggins opt into the final season on his contract, he then could be subbed in for Herro in the machinations of a Giannis deal.
—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
Humankind doesn’t need to fully grasp the inner machinations.
—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Fortunately, the plot machinations demand that Tova sprain her ankle early in the film, which gives the otherwise ageless Field the excuse to limp or shuffle around in a walking boot.
—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
Changing the way people move The machinations that go into trying to plan simultaneous transactions can be mind-boggling.
—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Thanks to the machinations of In the City confessional filming, Lindsay was on a coach in front of a green screen, and Kyle was in the building.
—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
27 May 2026
Democrats have questioned whether Vance’s role would bring political machinations into decisions prosecutors and investigators make about what cases to pursue.
—
Andrew Graham
may 27,
Sacbee.com,
27 May 2026
Those intentions prove to be relatively short-lived, as personal tragedy and political machinations eventually drove both men down their familiar old paths.
—
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
Joshua Hunt,
Vanity Fair,
17 June 2026
Should Wiggins opt into the final season on his contract, he then could be subbed in for Herro in the machinations of a Giannis deal.
—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
Humankind doesn’t need to fully grasp the inner machinations.
—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Fortunately, the plot machinations demand that Tova sprain her ankle early in the film, which gives the otherwise ageless Field the excuse to limp or shuffle around in a walking boot.
—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
Changing the way people move The machinations that go into trying to plan simultaneous transactions can be mind-boggling.
—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Thanks to the machinations of In the City confessional filming, Lindsay was on a coach in front of a green screen, and Kyle was in the building.
—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
27 May 2026
Democrats have questioned whether Vance’s role would bring political machinations into decisions prosecutors and investigators make about what cases to pursue.
—
Andrew Graham
may 27,
Sacbee.com,
27 May 2026
Those intentions prove to be relatively short-lived, as personal tragedy and political machinations eventually drove both men down their familiar old paths.
—
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for machinations
Noun
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Federal authorities on Tuesday charged 10 Southern California defendants in a series of healthcare fraud schemes, including one case involving nearly $270 million in fraudulent Medi-Cal claims and another that allegedly defrauded Medicare out of approximately $27 million.
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As contemporary home designs fade the visual bounds between interior and exterior, design pros are calling on lighting designers to illuminate their clients’ landscapes, with schemes that provide everything from safety to spectacle.
Noun
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And thus, the Roswell UFO conspiracies were born.
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Jackson is charged with multiple drug trafficking conspiracies, providing contraband in prison, evidence tampering, firearm offenses, and operating unregistered drones.
Noun
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Our plots run away characters shapeshifting on the page?
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These movies are wildly popular spectacles, even if the plots are a little thin.
Noun
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Netflix announced a second melodrama last December, about the secrets and intrigues of an elite Rio de Janeiro family, created in partnership with Amaia Produções and Conspiração, with general direction by Mauro Mendonça Filho.
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The rich textures and thick ambiance of The Eyes of Others are pure high modernist 1960s Italian cinema, but De Sica unfurls the film’s winding intrigues with a contemporary sense of suspense, carnality, and visual boldness.
Cite this Entry
“Machinations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/machinations. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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