as in calculating
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as in scheming
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as in planning
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
mobsters were caught plotting to take over the company
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Recent Examples of plotting
John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026
For that, Quintrell turned directly to Austen’s own plotting.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Even the film’s critic-defying, pinky-swearing fanbase may be disappointed in the barebones production, jarring plotting, tired dialogue and ham-handed staging.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
But Goebel’s sharp dialogue, razor plotting and fiery sense of Los Angeles elevate his unconventional characters.
—Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026
Pixels • One promising character disconnected from the plotting so far is Zach Galifianakis as Carl Bardolph, a client of JoAnne’s who made some untold fortune in the business, but has since turned into a bitter recluse.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
But despite Badio’s behind-the-scenes plotting, John insisted that the former official was not the one in charge of the operation.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
His strategic planning and patience in taking control require proper plotting, which the sea-goat can do when invested in a project.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026
In its plotting and structure, this often feels less like a series than a two-hour movie that’s been stretched to fill eight 45-minute episodes on the rationale that the latter would be easier to greenlight than the former.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2026
Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 25 May 2026
At a true farmers market, you’ll likely spot chefs inspecting greens, tasting fruits and plotting that night’s specials — the same approach is available to home cooks willing to shop seasonally and ask questions.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2026
Head to a true farmers market on a weekend morning and you’ll likely spot chefs doing exactly that — inspecting greens, tasting fruits and plotting nightly specials of farm-to-table dishes.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026
Francis and Pierre start whispering behind closed doors to one another at night, plotting whether or not to flee for a neutral country.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 22 May 2026
But soon the 50-year-old character actor will be joining the DCU and plotting to conquer and collect the world as Brainiac, the villain of James Gunn’s Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
An Iraqi man accused of orchestrating nearly 20 terrorist attacks across Europe and plotting attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States has been brought to New York to face federal terrorism charges after what the FBI described as a major international operation.
—Louis Casiano , Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
May 15, 2026 Share full article A commander of an Iraqi militia has been charged with plotting to attack Jewish sites in the United States, including a synagogue in New York, and carrying out attacks in Europe as part of a broader campaign of retaliation by Iran since the war began in February.
—New York Times, 15 May 2026
Awareness of risk from terror plots is high in the city after a 21-year-old Austrian man accused of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group pleaded guilty to plotting to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024.
—ABC News, 14 May 2026
Noun
Who is murdered, why and Clare’s entanglement in the whole deal unfold over the remainder of the novel, featuring much tighter and more plausible plotting than your average suspense story.
—John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026
For that, Quintrell turned directly to Austen’s own plotting.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Even the film’s critic-defying, pinky-swearing fanbase may be disappointed in the barebones production, jarring plotting, tired dialogue and ham-handed staging.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
But Goebel’s sharp dialogue, razor plotting and fiery sense of Los Angeles elevate his unconventional characters.
—Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026
Pixels • One promising character disconnected from the plotting so far is Zach Galifianakis as Carl Bardolph, a client of JoAnne’s who made some untold fortune in the business, but has since turned into a bitter recluse.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
But despite Badio’s behind-the-scenes plotting, John insisted that the former official was not the one in charge of the operation.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
His strategic planning and patience in taking control require proper plotting, which the sea-goat can do when invested in a project.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026
In its plotting and structure, this often feels less like a series than a two-hour movie that’s been stretched to fill eight 45-minute episodes on the rationale that the latter would be easier to greenlight than the former.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
Faye probably calculated that the move, announced late on Friday, could bury his own political career but was worth the risk to break an impasse that has prevented the country plotting a path out of its debilitating debt crisis.
—Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 25 May 2026
At a true farmers market, you’ll likely spot chefs inspecting greens, tasting fruits and plotting that night’s specials — the same approach is available to home cooks willing to shop seasonally and ask questions.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2026
Head to a true farmers market on a weekend morning and you’ll likely spot chefs doing exactly that — inspecting greens, tasting fruits and plotting nightly specials of farm-to-table dishes.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026
Francis and Pierre start whispering behind closed doors to one another at night, plotting whether or not to flee for a neutral country.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 22 May 2026
But soon the 50-year-old character actor will be joining the DCU and plotting to conquer and collect the world as Brainiac, the villain of James Gunn’s Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
An Iraqi man accused of orchestrating nearly 20 terrorist attacks across Europe and plotting attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States has been brought to New York to face federal terrorism charges after what the FBI described as a major international operation.
—Louis Casiano , Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
May 15, 2026 Share full article A commander of an Iraqi militia has been charged with plotting to attack Jewish sites in the United States, including a synagogue in New York, and carrying out attacks in Europe as part of a broader campaign of retaliation by Iran since the war began in February.
—New York Times, 15 May 2026
Awareness of risk from terror plots is high in the city after a 21-year-old Austrian man accused of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group pleaded guilty to plotting to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024.
—ABC News, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plotting
Adjective
-
Even Alex becomes too entangled in her students’ dealings and ends up suffering at the hands of one of the more calculating boys.—
Rebekah Frumkin,
Washington Post,
6 Sep. 2019
-
And experts believe that his intuitive style could throw the more calculating Caruana, who has faced time crunches already in this championship, off-balance.—
Joshua Robinson,
WSJ,
27 Nov. 2018
Noun
-
Set in Britain in the 80s’, the series is about the scheming and politics of TV broadcast in the Thatcher era.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Off the heels of a miscarriage, Coltrane and his wife dream of a normal life outside of their undercover thieving and scheming.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
What to know about Artemis Under NASA's Artemis campaign, the space agency is planning to put astronauts on the surface of the moon for the first time since the Apollo era ended in 1972.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
-
The sector had been whispering earlier this year that Richemont was planning to offload Jaeger-LeCoultre.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
More details about the Cavs/The Realest partnership To ensure authenticity, The Realest oversees every collectible item to have patent-pending covert markings and tamper resistant holograms.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
-
The sizable bridal party took some work and covert planning.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Different routes through each level — stealth, social infiltration or full-action — feed the replay loop in a way that should give the game serious legs past launch week.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
-
Franzen is the cofounder and CEO of Furientis, a defense startup that emerged from stealth with $5 million in pre-seed funding, Fortune learned exclusively.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
TiVo is often chastised for being surreptitious about its data collection practices and its failure to provide a clear privacy policy.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
14 May 2026
-
The upside of the bar's surreptitious locale is sometimes not having to share it with a soul; the downside is the potential lack of a pool partner, so bring your own.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For anyone who has followed the not-so-bedroom-anymore rapper’s rise, this pastiche of showmanship and secrecy will come as no surprise—and the music itself synthesizes a similar mix across textures pulled from bloghouse, indie rock, cloud rap, and more.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2026
-
Operational secrecy was preserved with steely discipline, and Israel was utterly deceived and taken by surprise.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Adjective
-
But in the current political climate, clandestine behaviors could win out.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
19 May 2026
-
These relations are not based on secrecy or clandestine arrangements.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plotting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plotting. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
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