as in negotiated
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care
he was charged with masterminding a plan to redecorate the suite of offices without seriously disrupting business operations
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Recent Examples of masterminded
O’Neill masterminded Nike’s pivot away from wholesale, a move that ended badly when retailers started carrying all of Nike’s competitors instead, and oversaw its women’s business, which never matched its men’s line.
—
Shelly Banjo, semafor.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer has masterminded the charter rewrite, promoting it as a way to make county government more transparent and accountable to the public.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
Prosecutors say Robert Sabiron Rubillar and Liezyl Rubillar, the chief executive officer and chief financial officer of Legal Systems Billing Solutions, masterminded the scheme.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Sixty-five years ago, my grandfather masterminded a robbery at a historic Los Angeles estate.
—Jennifer Cannon, Vanity Fair, 7 Apr. 2026
Its Scandinavian design was masterminded by a Swiss architect, and while the angles may be precise and dramatic, the furnishings are unabashedly hygge, with sheepskins, soft throws, and wood-burning fireplaces throughout to fend off the coastal damp.
—Ashley Baker, Air Mail, 4 Apr. 2026
After reluctantly agreeing to be a temporary adviser, Jobs took over as CEO and masterminded an innovation factory that churned out the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad in a decade-long burst of feverish creativity.
—ABC News, 31 Mar. 2026
Court records show Wamuigah participated in a business email compromise scheme masterminded by Okechuckwu Valentine Osuji of Nigeria.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026
As the story goes, fresh off university and broke in 1996, Ralph Anderl, alongside friends Philipp Haffmans and Harald Gottschling, masterminded the screwless invention, decided to apply it to stainless-steel eyewear and wore some prototype pairs to a gallery event in Berlin.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 20 Mar. 2026
Shelly Banjo, semafor.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer has masterminded the charter rewrite, promoting it as a way to make county government more transparent and accountable to the public.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
Prosecutors say Robert Sabiron Rubillar and Liezyl Rubillar, the chief executive officer and chief financial officer of Legal Systems Billing Solutions, masterminded the scheme.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Sixty-five years ago, my grandfather masterminded a robbery at a historic Los Angeles estate.
—Jennifer Cannon, Vanity Fair, 7 Apr. 2026
Its Scandinavian design was masterminded by a Swiss architect, and while the angles may be precise and dramatic, the furnishings are unabashedly hygge, with sheepskins, soft throws, and wood-burning fireplaces throughout to fend off the coastal damp.
—Ashley Baker, Air Mail, 4 Apr. 2026
After reluctantly agreeing to be a temporary adviser, Jobs took over as CEO and masterminded an innovation factory that churned out the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad in a decade-long burst of feverish creativity.
—ABC News, 31 Mar. 2026
Court records show Wamuigah participated in a business email compromise scheme masterminded by Okechuckwu Valentine Osuji of Nigeria.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026
As the story goes, fresh off university and broke in 1996, Ralph Anderl, alongside friends Philipp Haffmans and Harald Gottschling, masterminded the screwless invention, decided to apply it to stainless-steel eyewear and wore some prototype pairs to a gallery event in Berlin.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masterminded
Verb
-
The deal was negotiated by Range Select.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
Epps is repped by UTA, producing partner Niles Kirchner, IAG for stand-up who negotiated this deal, and Yorn, Levine, Barnes.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Steingart says the sites are engineered to slow down the spread of fire and give firefighters more time.—
Mahsa Saeidi,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
-
Around 30 minutes from Yosemite National Park, this two-estate compound at Bass Lake was practically engineered for oversized family weekends.—
Natalie Hoberman,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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The product is a cluster of six lie-flat sleep pods arranged in three tiers — the setup is essentially bunk beds in the sky — between the economy and premium economy cabins on its newest Boeing 787-9 aircraft.—
Chris Dong,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
People sating their desires for food and company no longer need seedy hotels or hastily arranged Facebook events, now that brick-and-mortar spaces like Aikens’s restaurant exist.—
Victoria M. Walker,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Historic Palmetto cemetery vandalized, deputies say Old Memphis Cemetery is tied to Palmetto’s historic Memphis neighborhood, which was originally plotted in 1904, according to a state historical marker at the site.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
-
The move stemmed from his frustration at the prosecution of former Brazilian leader and one-time ally Jair Bolsonaro, who allegedly plotted a coup to stay in office after losing the 2022 election to Lula.—
Kate Nishimura,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors allege Saab and his associates manipulated the program through overpriced contracts and international financial transactions designed to conceal illicit proceeds.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
-
Musk’s core claim was that the co-founders had manipulated him into donating millions of dollars and eventually turned OpenAI into a for-profit.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Masterminded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masterminded. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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