as in plotted
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
Relevance
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 schemed
Detective John Bolden, 47, a 20-year NYPD veteran who retired from the force in October, schemed to fleece the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which offered loans to small businesses forced to close or at risk of closing during the COVID pandemic.
—
John Annese, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026
Wanting to do something special for their milestone 50th wedding anniversary this year, the couple's daughters, Andrea Bodin, 47, and Dayna Ferraro, 44, schemed to throw them an epic surprise party.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
Their new head coach and offensive play caller is Klint Kubiak, who schemed the Seahawks’ offense to a pair of monstrous performances against the Rams last season.
—Nate Atkins, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Apparently, no Democrat has ever lied, failed, dodged, schemed, or face-planted.
—Larry Clifton, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
These are a handful of examples the government intends to highlight in a federal racketeering trial alleging that top International Brotherhood of Boilermakers executives schemed to steal $20 million in union funds for their personal use.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 2 May 2026
San Francisco jurors stopped short of finding the Texas billionaire intentionally schemed to defraud investors.
—Staff, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
The Democratic primary was uncontested after Garcia quietly schemed to place his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, on the ballot without any Democratic competition.
—ABC News, 17 Mar. 2026
Teams clearly schemed to exploit him in the pick-and-roll.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
John Annese, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026
Wanting to do something special for their milestone 50th wedding anniversary this year, the couple's daughters, Andrea Bodin, 47, and Dayna Ferraro, 44, schemed to throw them an epic surprise party.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
Their new head coach and offensive play caller is Klint Kubiak, who schemed the Seahawks’ offense to a pair of monstrous performances against the Rams last season.
—Nate Atkins, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Apparently, no Democrat has ever lied, failed, dodged, schemed, or face-planted.
—Larry Clifton, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
These are a handful of examples the government intends to highlight in a federal racketeering trial alleging that top International Brotherhood of Boilermakers executives schemed to steal $20 million in union funds for their personal use.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 2 May 2026
San Francisco jurors stopped short of finding the Texas billionaire intentionally schemed to defraud investors.
—Staff, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
The Democratic primary was uncontested after Garcia quietly schemed to place his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, on the ballot without any Democratic competition.
—ABC News, 17 Mar. 2026
Teams clearly schemed to exploit him in the pick-and-roll.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for schemed
plotted
Verb
-
In performance and direction, and in the small ways in which Caswell and Wills have plotted out this isolated love story, there’s a level of great richness and detail.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
-
Nearly all the tracks are rigorously plotted within the modal grammar of Hindustani classical music.—
Arman Khan,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Schemed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/schemed. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
