Synonyms of scheme

scheme 1 of 2

noun

ˈskēm 

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

• ruse
• device
• trick
• stratagem
• gambit
• ploy
• sleight of hand
• jig
• gimmick
• fetch
• dodge
• knack
• flimflam
• deception
• bluff
• play
• sleight
• artifice
• wile
• hoax
• subterfuge
• shenanigan
• cunning
• juggle
• trickery
• feint
• skullduggery
• duplicity
• swindle
• end run
• swindling
• chicanery
• skulduggery
• cheating
• fraud
• fakery
• jugglery
• sham
• cozenage
• legerdemain
• crookery
• craft
• dupery
• blind
• smoke screen
• front
• gaff

2

as in conspiracy

a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends

a scheme to kidnap the president's daughter

Synonyms & Similar Words

• conspiracy
• plot
• machination
• strategy
• intrigue
• design
• stratagem
• maneuver
• manipulation
• subterfuge
• trickery
• system
• program
• counterplot
• cabal
• frame-up
• draft
• racket
• contrivance
• ground plan
• counterconspiracy
• dodge
• confederacy
• collusion
• cover-up
• gimmick
• ring
• connivance
• complicity
• trick
• conniving
• artifice
• game
• conspiration

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

• plan
• strategy
• blueprint
• program
• project
• system
• design
• arrangement
• proposal
• master plan
• game plan
• ground plan
• idea
• game
• road map
• way
• procedure
• recipe
• technique
• plot
• conspiracy
• ruse
• stratagem
• gambit
• intention
• collusion
• purpose
• subterfuge
• intent
• device
• policy
• tactic
• maneuver
• protocol
• contrivance
• means
• aim
• trick
• formula
• conception
• counterplan
• map
• counterstrategy
• setup
• diagram
• platform
• pattern
• layout
• projet
• specific(s)
• specification(s)

scheme

2 of 2

verb

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

• plot
• plan
• contrive
• conspire
• intrigue
• collude
• connive
• devise
• machinate
• design
• compass
• hatch
• engineer
• put up
• concoct
• counterplot
• manipulate
• maneuver
• shape
• cook (up)
• map
• brew
• lay out
• frame
• jockey

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun scheme contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of scheme are design, plan, plot, and project. While all these words mean "a method devised for making or doing something or achieving an end," scheme stresses calculation of the end in view and may apply to a plan motivated by craftiness and self-interest.

a scheme to defraud the government

When would design be a good substitute for scheme?

While the synonyms design and scheme are close in meaning, design often suggests a particular pattern and some degree of achieved order or harmony.

a design for a new dress

When is it sensible to use plan instead of scheme?

In some situations, the words plan and scheme are roughly equivalent. However, plan always implies mental formulation and sometimes graphic representation.

plans for a house

When is plot a more appropriate choice than scheme?

The synonyms plot and scheme are sometimes interchangeable, but plot implies a laying out in clearly distinguished sections with attention to their relations and proportions.

the plot of the play

In what contexts can project take the place of scheme?

Although the words project and scheme have much in common, project often stresses imaginative scope and vision.

a project to develop the waterfront

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scheme

Noun

Device, and retreat to his bunker with the other evil billionaires while the rest of humanity tears each other apart (the scheme is eerily similar to the fantasies of Charles Manson). —Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 1 Aug. 2025

These wealthy young men relied on the criminal Mr. Fox, who orchestrated the scheme by exploiting his passionate affair with Judge Gladwell’s wife. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 July 2025

Verb

Honest Abe is forced to scheme, relying on grit and cunning to win the votes to abolish slavery. —Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 4 July 2025

An indictment accused Veliz Rios of scheming with others to bill more than $15.3 million worth of wound care and skin graft products on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries who never did not need them or receive them. —Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 1 July 2025

Phrases Containing scheme

• scheme (out)