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
Federal prosecutors said her signatures cost the federal programs more than six million dollars; the entire scheme, masterminded by a man in his late-20s named Steve Richardson, cost taxpayers $11 million.
—
Julia Coin
june 9, Charlotte Observer, 9 June 2026
At least six people carried out the plot alllegedly masterminded by the 27-year-old Molina, but none of them have been apprehended, authorities said.
—CBS News, 3 June 2026
At the time Chhabria made his finding in 2024, Ervin had been awaiting execution in the November 1986 killing of Carlene McDonald, who was slain in an alleged murder-for-hire plot believed by prosecutors to be masterminded by the woman’s ex-husband.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
The manager who masterminded the FA Cup win last season and the player who scored the winning goal in the UEFA Conference League final took a moment to appreciate each other and let reality sink in.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 May 2026
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
Julia Coin
june 9, Charlotte Observer, 9 June 2026
At least six people carried out the plot alllegedly masterminded by the 27-year-old Molina, but none of them have been apprehended, authorities said.
—CBS News, 3 June 2026
At the time Chhabria made his finding in 2024, Ervin had been awaiting execution in the November 1986 killing of Carlene McDonald, who was slain in an alleged murder-for-hire plot believed by prosecutors to be masterminded by the woman’s ex-husband.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
The manager who masterminded the FA Cup win last season and the player who scored the winning goal in the UEFA Conference League final took a moment to appreciate each other and let reality sink in.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masterminded
Verb
-
The building project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and paid for by Canada to help ease congestion at the existing Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor tunnel.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
-
Following the end of the lease, the city of Escondido would regain ownership of the space or a new lease could be negotiated.—
Frankie Rowley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The proprietary filtration system is specifically engineered to remove impurities, chlorine, harmful chemicals and heavy metals from your water.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 June 2026
-
The hull and superstructure were engineered specifically to support the propulsion system, with designs that reduce energy consumption while improving performance and comfort.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
13 June 2026
Verb
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There was Asher Durand, master of the winsome glade; John Frederick Kensett, poet of still waters; and, above all, Thomas Cole, the philosopher-king of landscape, with whom an 18-year-old Church arranged to study privately.—
Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
-
This meal was arranged like weather.—
Teresa Mull,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Jeffrey Epstein’s final months Texts, emails and other documents reveal how Epstein plotted to escape justice as law enforcement closed in.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
In performance and direction, and in the small ways in which Caswell and Wills have plotted out this isolated love story, there’s a level of great richness and detail.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
He’s been manipulated to believe that this is what’s necessary by his sister.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
-
The people drawing the lines manipulated the system for partisan advantage.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Masterminded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masterminded. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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