1
as in schemes
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
Relevance
2
3
as in properties
a small piece of land that is developed or available for development
subdivided the old farm into plots for tract houses
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in plans
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
mobsters were caught plotting to take over the company
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of plots
Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
And his writing evolved along with the series, as the characters grew more morally complex, and the plots became more intricate and convoluted.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2026
The plots are bizarre—and often oddly racist, homophobic, transphobic, or misogynist.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
They were traced to the purchase of 11 real estate properties, 14 plots of land cultivated as vineyards and olive groves, along with artworks and financial assets in Florence and the neighboring Tuscan countryside.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Unger, who lives in Clearwater, has a reputation for solid stand-alone thrillers that have landed on bestseller lists, with unusual plots and unconventional motives shrouded in dark-but-not-oppressive atmospheres.
—Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Most ranchers are already doing their best to stretch water sources on their plots.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2026
But in either instance, the labor and equipment costs are usually significantly higher than burning, especially with bigger plots.
—Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
Yet despite pressure, embargoes and various CIA plots, the communist government in Havana has resisted the wishes of its very powerful neighbor separated by just 90 miles (145 kilometers) of water.
—Joseph J. Gonzalez, The Conversation, 23 Mar. 2026
Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
As Helen plots revenge and Madeline clings to her rapidly fading star, their world is suddenly turned upside down by Viola Van Horn, a mysterious woman with a secret that's to die for.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
In 1893, Scottish-Canadian author, Robert Barr, wrote a short story about an unhappy married couple that was vacationing in the Swiss Alps when the husband plots to push his wife off of a cliff.
—Mary Beth Skylis, Outside, 26 Feb. 2026
Various accusations were leveled against the owners of both groups during the course of the hearing, with two operators of Cesar Rainey Street being implicated in drug trafficking and arson plots separately.
—Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
As Helen plots revenge and Madeline clings to her rapidly fading star, their world is suddenly turned upside down by Viola Van Horn, a mysterious woman with a secret that’s to die for.
—Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Feb. 2026
Goldman Sachs here plots the relative valuation of asset-light over asset-heavy companies, compressing toward zero.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
For cyclists, the Coastal Bike Trail plots out a route to see the city and the harbor on two wheels.
—Carolyn Heller, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The teacher then plots revenge by secretly staging the most wildly inappropriate musical imaginable to sabotage the principal’s bid for academic glory.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
From large commercial operations to small-scale organic plots, farmers across Illinois and the country are trying to weather the sharp spike in agricultural costs driven by a conflict thousands of miles from their fields.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
And his writing evolved along with the series, as the characters grew more morally complex, and the plots became more intricate and convoluted.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2026
The plots are bizarre—and often oddly racist, homophobic, transphobic, or misogynist.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
They were traced to the purchase of 11 real estate properties, 14 plots of land cultivated as vineyards and olive groves, along with artworks and financial assets in Florence and the neighboring Tuscan countryside.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Unger, who lives in Clearwater, has a reputation for solid stand-alone thrillers that have landed on bestseller lists, with unusual plots and unconventional motives shrouded in dark-but-not-oppressive atmospheres.
—Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Most ranchers are already doing their best to stretch water sources on their plots.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2026
But in either instance, the labor and equipment costs are usually significantly higher than burning, especially with bigger plots.
—Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
Yet despite pressure, embargoes and various CIA plots, the communist government in Havana has resisted the wishes of its very powerful neighbor separated by just 90 miles (145 kilometers) of water.
—Joseph J. Gonzalez, The Conversation, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
Alexandre Dumas’s novel of identity and revenge gets a big-budget remake with Sam Claflin starring as Edmond Dantès, a sailor wrongly imprisoned in an island fortress who, after his escape and subsequent treasure finding, plots his vengeance.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
As Helen plots revenge and Madeline clings to her rapidly fading star, their world is suddenly turned upside down by Viola Van Horn, a mysterious woman with a secret that's to die for.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
In 1893, Scottish-Canadian author, Robert Barr, wrote a short story about an unhappy married couple that was vacationing in the Swiss Alps when the husband plots to push his wife off of a cliff.
—Mary Beth Skylis, Outside, 26 Feb. 2026
Various accusations were leveled against the owners of both groups during the course of the hearing, with two operators of Cesar Rainey Street being implicated in drug trafficking and arson plots separately.
—Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
As Helen plots revenge and Madeline clings to her rapidly fading star, their world is suddenly turned upside down by Viola Van Horn, a mysterious woman with a secret that’s to die for.
—Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Feb. 2026
Goldman Sachs here plots the relative valuation of asset-light over asset-heavy companies, compressing toward zero.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
For cyclists, the Coastal Bike Trail plots out a route to see the city and the harbor on two wheels.
—Carolyn Heller, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The teacher then plots revenge by secretly staging the most wildly inappropriate musical imaginable to sabotage the principal’s bid for academic glory.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plots
Noun
-
The jury also heard testimony from local public school educators who struggled with disruptions linked to social media, including sextortion schemes targeting children.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The fraud section last year led the largest coordinated takedown of health care fraud schemes in Justice Department history totaling nearly $15 billion in false claims.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Published in 2021 by a team of scholars in such fields as Jewish studies and Holocaust history, it was created to help distinguish hatred of Jews from criticism of Israel.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The Pestova company has nearly 100 acres of potato fields in eastern Kosovo that are used to make the potato chips sold under the name Vipa.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
James misrepresented how two of her properties in Illinois and Florida would be used in home insurance filings with Universal Property Insurance and Allstate Insurance Company, the new filings read, according to MS Now.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Officers are searching two properties in north London, a few miles from the scene of the attack in Golders Green.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For more than four decades, the Korean immigrant has worked at the shop near Travis Air Force Base, hearing countless stories of loss, sacrifice and heartbreak from military families and service members.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Paxton told stories about running for office for the first time and his 2023 impeachment.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Voter fraud conspiracies are like methamphetamine running through MAGA veins, stirring up equal parts passion and paranoia.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The drumbeat of Christian war imagery has ignited dangerous conspiracies about Jews, such as Tucker Carlson’s contention that the Chabad-Lubavitch sect of Judaism secretly started the war.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Some religious tracts and pamphlets had been sent by radio preachers after Mama or Daddy had mailed them a dollar.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Inside were sermons, political tracts, and educational booklets.—
Regina E. Mason,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the reigning champs frequently put Towns in defensive actions, often creating wide-open driving lanes to the rim, much to the ire of head coach Mike Brown.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
On the other side were Jews who tended to be far more concerned about the resurgence of antisemitism on the right, from the likes of Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes, and believed that Israel’s aggressive actions were partially responsible for making Jews unsafe.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Because she was not permitted on school grounds and not authorized to take the student off school property, she was charged with felony kidnapping.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Trains, buses and the Metrorail will drop fans off at the Miami Intermodal Center, which is adjacent to Miami International Airport and across the street from the stadium grounds.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plots. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
