as in negotiating
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 masterminding
Four years later, police accused him of masterminding the killing of Moosewala, a Punjabi icon whose lyrics chronicled the hardships of life on the streets.
—
Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
In 1988, the right-wing Cuban terrorist Orlando Bosch arrived in Miami, after serving time in prison for masterminding a series of gruesome bombings.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Polk, a longtime business partner of Jordan who was vice chairman of Hornets Sports & Entertainment when Jordan was the NBA team’s majority owner, is depicted as masterminding efforts to undermine NASCAR.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Adelson was accused of masterminding the plot and enlisting the help of her own son, Charles Adelson, to carry it out.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Canberra expelled Tehran’s ambassador after accusing Iran of masterminding at least two antisemitic attacks on Australian soil.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Govan was allegedly to receive 10% for masterminding the plot.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
In 1988, the right-wing Cuban terrorist Orlando Bosch arrived in Miami, after serving time in prison for masterminding a series of gruesome bombings.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Polk, a longtime business partner of Jordan who was vice chairman of Hornets Sports & Entertainment when Jordan was the NBA team’s majority owner, is depicted as masterminding efforts to undermine NASCAR.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Adelson was accused of masterminding the plot and enlisting the help of her own son, Charles Adelson, to carry it out.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Canberra expelled Tehran’s ambassador after accusing Iran of masterminding at least two antisemitic attacks on Australian soil.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Govan was allegedly to receive 10% for masterminding the plot.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masterminding
Verb
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Ukraine is currently negotiating with its international partners to increase natural gas imports by about 30% as the winter approaches, according to energy minister Svitlana Grynchuk.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
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The partnership was built to oversee all of La Liga’s commercial and development activity in the region, as well as negotiating media rights on their behalf.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Others, like Ghiath Dalla, a brigadier general whose forces were involved in violent repression of protests, is among several former officers plotting sabotage from Lebanon, according to ex-military commanders, who also shared text message exchanges with The Times.—
Danny Makki,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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The president revoked Bolton’s Secret Service detail earlier this year, even as Iranian operatives remained under an indictment for plotting to assassinate him.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Except for those limitations, the Army is arranging to return those eligible for demobilization as quickly as possible.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
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Three years at the symphony Starting on his first day, July 27, 2020, Jones’ responsibilities included assigning parts to musicians, managing instruments, arranging production with stage crews and leading the percussion section’s performance.—
Matti Gellman,
Kansas City Star,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There is immense interest in manipulating these phase transformations and retaining superior electro-optic properties down to liquid helium temperature, according to the study published in Advanced Materials.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
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Basically, this discovery could inform future therapeutic strategies aimed at manipulating the gut microbiome for human health.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Masterminding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masterminding. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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