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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Folks would dip dresses and suits in glowing, phosphorescent paint and wear them around town performing various pranks or artistic displays.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
25 Mar. 2026
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Some in the art world speculate Banksy orchestrated the unmasking himself as a publicity stunt, consistent with his history of subversive pranks and satire.—
Laurie Kellman,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Ball, who has been on a heater of late, set the tone early by showing off his full bag of tricks — shooting 3s off one foot, throwing no-look dimes and outleaping opponents for rebounds, seemingly toying with the Kings at times.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
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Through that rigorous daily routine, Chaser didn’t just learn tricks.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruses. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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