Synonyms of plot

plot 1 of 2

noun

ˈplät 

1

as in scheme

a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends

the Secret Service uncovered just in time a plot to assassinate the President

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scheme
• conspiracy
• intrigue
• machination
• strategy
• design
• counterplot
• manipulation
• subterfuge
• maneuver
• trickery
• stratagem
• cabal
• contrivance
• racket
• frame-up
• system
• program
• draft
• dodge
• counterconspiracy
• confederacy
• collusion
• ground plan
• complicity
• cover-up
• ring
• conniving
• connivance
• gimmick
• game
• trick
• artifice
• conspiration

2

as in field

a small area of usually open land

grew vegetables in a little plot

Synonyms & Similar Words

• field
• tract
• ground
• parcel
• clearing
• meadow
• lot
• plat
• lawn
• grass
• green
• pasture
• grassland
• greensward
• croft
• common(s)
• moor
• pastureland
• glade
• heath
• lea
• heathland

3

as in property

a small piece of land that is developed or available for development

subdivided the old farm into plots for tract houses

Synonyms & Similar Words

• property
• tract
• parcel
• lot
• development
• lease
• plat
• patch
• real estate
• frontage

4

as in story

the unfolding of events in a dramatic or literary work

wrote novels in which the plot was always subordinate to the characterizations

Synonyms & Similar Words

• story
• action
• story line
• subplot
• arc
• development
• plan
• theme
• scheme
• outline
• subject
• design
• argument
• mythos

plot

2 of 2

verb

ˈplät 

as in to scheme

to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends

mobsters were caught plotting to take over the company

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scheme
• plan
• intrigue
• conspire
• contrive
• design
• collude
• engineer
• machinate
• connive
• devise
• compass
• manipulate
• counterplot
• hatch
• put up
• concoct
• map
• brew
• cook (up)
• shape
• maneuver
• jockey
• frame
• lay out

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun plot differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of plot are cabal, conspiracy, intrigue, and machination. While all these words mean "a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end," plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme.

an assassination plot

When might cabal be a better fit than plot?

The synonyms cabal and plot are sometimes interchangeable, but cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence.

a cabal among powerful senators

In what contexts can conspiracy take the place of plot?

While in some cases nearly identical to plot, conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery.

a conspiracy to fix prices

When is intrigue a more appropriate choice than plot?

The words intrigue and plot are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity.

backstairs intrigue

When could machination be used to replace plot?

Although the words machination and plot have much in common, machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means.

the machinations of a party boss

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of plot

Noun

Watching thrillers or murders on TV (and now on OTT platforms) and turning into an uncritical enthusiast of plot in the evenings is similarly indispensable to openness to plotlessness during the day. —Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026

The cemetery was at the center of a major scandal in when it was uncovered in 2009 that cemetery workers had been illegally digging up and moving bodies to resell the plots. —Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026

Verb

Investigators determined that Melton and the younger Austin plotted to kill the 55-year-old victim and took the pair into custody six days later. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026

Throughout his snooping and jet-setting, Pine becomes infatuated with Roper’s girlfriend Jed (Elizabeth Debicki), who eventually learns his real identity and begins to plot a way out of her toxic relationship. —Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 9 Jan. 2026