1
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
asking me to take her shopping turned out to be a ploy to get me to the surprise party
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2
as in spree
a time or instance of carefree fun
wanted one grand ploy through Europe before settling down and raising a family
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ploy
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said at the time that the drone incursion was a ploy by Russia to test the alliance.
—
Brendan Cole
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
The ploy worked well, Okonkwo twice saving from Saito during the first half after QPR had breached the left side of the Wrexham back line.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Cats are far less trusting than dogs and rarely fall for the pill-in-the-treat ploy.
—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 15 Sep. 2025
Their good cop-bad cop ploy doesn’t seem to be particularly convincing or even fear-inspiring to the suspects of the congregation.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ploy
Brendan Cole
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
The ploy worked well, Okonkwo twice saving from Saito during the first half after QPR had breached the left side of the Wrexham back line.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Cats are far less trusting than dogs and rarely fall for the pill-in-the-treat ploy.
—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 15 Sep. 2025
Their good cop-bad cop ploy doesn’t seem to be particularly convincing or even fear-inspiring to the suspects of the congregation.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ploy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ploy
Noun
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But authorities now believe Speight made the whole story up — and even shot himself as part of a ruse.—
Janelle Griffith,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
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How could Russ possibly sustain this ruse?—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Advertisement In the late 2000s, as the climate warmed further, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad loosened restrictions on well drilling and started another dam building spree.—
Nik Kowsar,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
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When a chilling new spree of murders happens 37 years later, an older Georgia (Heather Mitchell) is pulled back into the nightmare.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Rosenzweig worked on dozens of complex cases as a prosecutor in the economic crimes section, which focuses on healthcare fraud, money laundering and other financial schemes.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
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The Lions’ surprisingly poor showing against their NFC North rivals kneecapped CBS’ deliveries, although the Eye Network also didn’t get much of a lift from the new BDP scheme.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The most exciting feature is the realistic mask, though, which has mesh eyes for kids to see through while trick-or-treating, and an adjustable strap to fit their head properly.—
Katrina Cossey,
Parents,
1 Oct. 2025
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Perhaps most frustrating, two Johnson attempts to dig into his trick bag misfired.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ploy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ploy. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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