as in deceptions
an act that is used to fool someone
His act was just a clever ruse to get me to go out with him.
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Recent Examples of ruses
The New York Colored American reported that some offers of short-term work for Black men — moving livestock to or from Kentucky, for example — were ruses that ended with kidnappings.
—
Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Many suspect a spam call and don't pick up the phone, leading foundation staff to sometimes devise ruses.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Episode 4 finds both Ellen and Julia throwing themselves headlong into plans that require them to keep up major ruses.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 22 Aug. 2025
Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Many suspect a spam call and don't pick up the phone, leading foundation staff to sometimes devise ruses.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Episode 4 finds both Ellen and Julia throwing themselves headlong into plans that require them to keep up major ruses.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruses
Noun
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Years of insults and diss tracks and pranks and social media posts have followed, with small islands of peace floating by from time to time.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
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Reba McEntire is a survivor — of six years of pranks!—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In chats among Kalshi traders on the online forum Discord, some show their reluctance to reveal their trading tricks by misdirecting.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
17 Feb. 2026
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Coleman was known for her daring stunt tricks in the air.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruses. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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