as in schemes
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 machinations
The machinations violated the NBA’s salary cap rules.
—
Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Montas’ trip to the IL simplifies some roster machinations for this year’s Mets, but losing him as even an option for 2026 or modest eat-most-of-the-money trade bait this winter would hurt.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
So is Blood of My Blood‘s second main thread, in which the machinations of Clan Mackenzie are laid bare.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
His machinations were getting no coverage to speak of, but even at that early stage, Vrabel — Volin noted — was purging the Patriots roster of players connected to his predecessors, one-year head coach Jerod Mayo and before that, legendary head coach Bill Belichick.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Fans of the Mountain West and Pac-12 should attempt to ignore the legal machinations — a court filing here, a statement there — at least until the parties settle or head to trial.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
The Padres, who had perpetrated arguably the most talked-about trade deadline machinations in years, are now firmly in playoff position in a race that is ostensibly down to seven teams for six spots.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Why pull back the curtain on the inner machinations of the athletic department about 24 hours before their most important game of the season?
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2025
Sexual insecurity is what makes this great military man so vulnerable to Iago’s machinations.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025
Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Montas’ trip to the IL simplifies some roster machinations for this year’s Mets, but losing him as even an option for 2026 or modest eat-most-of-the-money trade bait this winter would hurt.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
So is Blood of My Blood‘s second main thread, in which the machinations of Clan Mackenzie are laid bare.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
His machinations were getting no coverage to speak of, but even at that early stage, Vrabel — Volin noted — was purging the Patriots roster of players connected to his predecessors, one-year head coach Jerod Mayo and before that, legendary head coach Bill Belichick.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Fans of the Mountain West and Pac-12 should attempt to ignore the legal machinations — a court filing here, a statement there — at least until the parties settle or head to trial.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
The Padres, who had perpetrated arguably the most talked-about trade deadline machinations in years, are now firmly in playoff position in a race that is ostensibly down to seven teams for six spots.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Why pull back the curtain on the inner machinations of the athletic department about 24 hours before their most important game of the season?
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2025
Sexual insecurity is what makes this great military man so vulnerable to Iago’s machinations.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for machinations
Noun
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The operation involved multiple money laundering schemes, often involving cryptocurrencies.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
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Investigations by a Milan court that uncovered ties of luxury brands such as Loro Piana, Valentino, Dior and Giorgio Armani, among others, to subcontractors involved in sweatshop schemes have raised concerns about the industry’s ability to manage its supply chains effectively.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As with many space conspiracies, a few evocative images plus some real (but unrelated) history can fuel a story that’s hard to shake.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
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Sanseito was born on YouTube in 2020 with a message trafficking in vaccine conspiracies.—
Mireya Solís,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Back testing reveals large gaps between the dot-plots and reality.—
Vipin Bharathan,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Nilson expanded his Plain City, Utah, development by negotiating with Weber County, which permitted him to construct more starter homes on smaller plots that would typically remain vacant.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Senior running back/defensive end Ishmaiah Elliott intrigues.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
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For the past four years, Honan has been a worm in Adams’s apple, scoring scoop after scoop about the dramas, inanities, and intrigues of his administration.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Machinations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/machinations. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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