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
Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Some films linger in our minds because of their sharp plots, quotable one-liners and unforgettable characters.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
An elderly cleaner plots revenge to reclaim land stolen from her at a ski resort in Niseko.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Jan. 2026
Both sides contain stories without plots, character studies without coherent meaning.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2026
The city plans to create 10 plots together covering a total of about 1 acre.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
The actor recently addressed how the streamer has tweaked the way films are made — specifically how plots are reiterated in their dialogue — now that so many viewers are watching them at home versus in a theater.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Jan. 2026
Under Árbenz, Guatemala implemented a land reform program in 1952 that gave landless farmworkers their own undeveloped plots.
—Aaron Coy Moulton, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2026
The two plots of land up for rezoning are near Anglin Circle and Enon Avenue.
—Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Jan. 2026
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
Early episodes deploy standard teen drama plots like a prank war (against a competing academy) and a party night (with the same competing academy).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 Jan. 2026
Thus begins a thorny relationship in which Jules plots vengeance, though their dynamic soon takes a fascinating turn.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025
Bad Santa follows an alcoholic scammer named Willie (Thornton) who poses as a mall Santa and plots to rob the stores on Christmas Eve with his sidekick, Marcus (Tony Cox).
—Lydia Price, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
These include Blood on Snow, in which a hit-man falls in love with his client’s wife—who also happens to be his latest target—and Just Play Dead, a tense thriller about a criminal trying to fake his own death for insurance money while his wife plots to kill him for real.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Moreover, disgusted and enraged at his inability to bring Isabelle to heel, Gercourt plots her ruin.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025
Douglass’s former North Star co-editor, Martin Delany, who had been admitted to Harvard Medical School but was forced out after white students complained, responded to Dred Scott — and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 — by writing a novel whose hero escapes bondage and plots an overthrow of slavery.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
In all plots, black circles represent the mean value of each environmental variables at each site, and the lines the SD.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Some films linger in our minds because of their sharp plots, quotable one-liners and unforgettable characters.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
An elderly cleaner plots revenge to reclaim land stolen from her at a ski resort in Niseko.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Jan. 2026
Both sides contain stories without plots, character studies without coherent meaning.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2026
The city plans to create 10 plots together covering a total of about 1 acre.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
The actor recently addressed how the streamer has tweaked the way films are made — specifically how plots are reiterated in their dialogue — now that so many viewers are watching them at home versus in a theater.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Jan. 2026
Under Árbenz, Guatemala implemented a land reform program in 1952 that gave landless farmworkers their own undeveloped plots.
—Aaron Coy Moulton, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2026
The two plots of land up for rezoning are near Anglin Circle and Enon Avenue.
—Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
Early episodes deploy standard teen drama plots like a prank war (against a competing academy) and a party night (with the same competing academy).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 Jan. 2026
Thus begins a thorny relationship in which Jules plots vengeance, though their dynamic soon takes a fascinating turn.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025
Bad Santa follows an alcoholic scammer named Willie (Thornton) who poses as a mall Santa and plots to rob the stores on Christmas Eve with his sidekick, Marcus (Tony Cox).
—Lydia Price, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
These include Blood on Snow, in which a hit-man falls in love with his client’s wife—who also happens to be his latest target—and Just Play Dead, a tense thriller about a criminal trying to fake his own death for insurance money while his wife plots to kill him for real.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Moreover, disgusted and enraged at his inability to bring Isabelle to heel, Gercourt plots her ruin.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025
Douglass’s former North Star co-editor, Martin Delany, who had been admitted to Harvard Medical School but was forced out after white students complained, responded to Dred Scott — and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 — by writing a novel whose hero escapes bondage and plots an overthrow of slavery.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plots
Noun
-
Officials say the scammers' schemes range from the savvy to the sloppy -- and all are brazen.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
In Minnesota, investigators and journalists have raised serious questions about fraud schemes tied to networks that disproportionately benefited non-citizens, while the families actually paying into the system were left footing the bill.—
Jennifer Nassour,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
World’s first 20 MW turbine The world’s first 20 MW turbine, developed and built in China, boasts of three blades that are 482 feet (147 m) long and sweep an area of 10 football fields.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
-
That was obvious in Palm Beach County when county commissioners were poised last month to rubber stamp a data center complex roughly the size of 150 football fields.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Dominica’s hotel scene is dominated by eco-sensitive boutique properties like the clifftop Secret Bay, which continues to raise the bar with experiences like Botanica, a chef’s table set in an organic garden.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni visited a southern town in Sicily on Wednesday that has been left teetering on the edge of a cliff after days of heavy rains from a cyclone triggered a huge landslide that brought down properties and forced the evacuation of over 1,500 people.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
As for the defense's argument that Debe had a history of making up stories, prosecutors say this is unfortunately consistent with life inside an abusive relationship.—
Sarah Prior,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Carol Trzcinski, executive director of McCord Gallery & Cultural Center in Palos Park, wants to help veterans tell their stories by exhibiting their art during a monthlong exhibit in March.—
Melinda Moore,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The economic summit has long attracted criticism and conspiracies for convening global celebrities, business leaders and political elite in a Swiss resort town.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
However, pro athletes earning millions of dollars a year have been accused of joining these conspiracies.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Landscapes unfold over vast, rocky tracts, engulfed by big skies.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Russia had been demanding vast tracts of Ukrainian territory in exchange for peace, and on the call Lavrov refused to back down.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Though Andrea — initially convicted of capital murder — was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a mental health facility, debate over what drove her actions continues to this day.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Reducing exposure can involve actions such as sealing cracks in basement floors or foundations, and installing ventilation systems designed to lower radon levels.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Generations of children grew up on these grounds.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Believe it or not, poor hygiene can be grounds for removal from a flight.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plots. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
