1
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
an e-mail scheme to trick unwary Internet users into disclosing passwords and financial information
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in conspiracy
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
a scheme to kidnap the president's daughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in plan
a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective
a scheme to upgrade the city's mass transit system
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to plot
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
the town inspector had schemed to overlook the contractor's code violations in exchange for a substantial bribe
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 scheme
News Desk, Artforum, 7 Nov. 2025
In the grander scheme, Big Pete joins his family across North Carolina to protect the grandmother tree.
—Khadejeh Nikouyeh, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025
In Return From the Ashes (1965), Eggar schemed to murder her stepmother (Ingrid Thulin), a concentration camp survivor.
—Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scheme
Noun
Despite these schemes, workers in June staged a wildcat strike against unfavorable working conditions, shuttering the Louvre temporarily.
—News Desk, Artforum, 7 Nov. 2025
In the grander scheme, Big Pete joins his family across North Carolina to protect the grandmother tree.
—Khadejeh Nikouyeh, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
Defenses can't scheme to take away the sidelines -- or avoid back-shoulder matchups with Sutton on a corner — as often when the Broncos are playing faster in the fourth quarter.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025
In Return From the Ashes (1965), Eggar schemed to murder her stepmother (Ingrid Thulin), a concentration camp survivor.
—Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scheme
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scheme
Noun
-
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
-
Odysseus, the Ithacan warrior who is as celebrated for craftiness as Achilles is for brute strength, devises a clever ruse in which the Greeks place a giant wooden horse outside Troy’s walls and pretend to sail away.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Police arrested Wimunc on suspicion of his wife's murder, charging him with first-degree murder, second-degree arson and conspiracy to commit second-degree arson.—
Mason Leath,
ABC News,
7 Nov. 2025
-
From the off, Deza identifies any number of gaps and inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case against her client, and even evidence of a systemic conspiracy against her.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The lawsuit states that camp officials announced plans to reopen next summer even though the body of one camper, 8-year-old Cile Steward, remains missing.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Secure loose outdoor items and adjust plans as necessary so you're not caught outside.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
According to the outlets, prosecutors told jurors that Urick and Tara, then 17, plotted her grandmother's murder for several weeks.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Gray and Rockett checked the bus schedule on Gray’s phone and began plotting their course.—
Dan Horn,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Dom tried his usual tricks, such as leaving the match to get counted out, but Cena stopped him and brought him back to the ring.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
-
And the action ranges from dueling card tricks to the kind of honest-to-God fights that merely serve to remind us that balletic action films really are magic tricks.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Their decision has highlighted deep divisions over legislative priorities and political strategy as lawmakers scramble to resolve the shutdown and address its nationwide consequences.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
-
What happened next, this time, was strange, and not uniformly validating for the Democrats’ strategy.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Moffett is the author of two short story collections, as well as The Silent History, a narrative app for mobile devices.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The show leans into this offensive, problematic plot device without any self-awareness.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Their findings provide a blueprint for improving efficiency, stability, and scalability, key steps toward mass deployment and alignment with China’s carbon neutrality goals.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Nov. 2025
-
And the World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting countries with its operational framework for climate-resilient health systems, offering a blueprint for countries to use these funds to build health systems that can withstand and respond to climate shocks.—
Vanessa Kerry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scheme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scheme. Accessed 25 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share