1
as in ruses
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
an e-mail scheme to trick unwary Internet users into disclosing passwords and financial information
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2
as in plots
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
a scheme to kidnap the president's daughter
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3
as in plans
a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective
a scheme to upgrade the city's mass transit system
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as in intrigues
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of schemes
Todd Spangler, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
Vrabel is truly an expert in NFL defensive schemes AND finding the way to a woman's heart.
—Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Jones, Rozier and Billups were among the more than 30 people charged between the two schemes.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Jones was one of three people charged in both the poker and sports betting schemes.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
As with the Steam Deck version, the touchpads here are most useful as a replacement for the mouse in the many PC games that still aren’t designed with handheld control schemes in mind.
—ArsTechnica, 27 Apr. 2026
Jones was one of three people charged in both the poker and sports betting schemes.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
According to some experts, this paralyzing fear and desperation are factors that scammers exploit to put their criminal schemes into action.
—Albinson Linares, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
Payne hopes to have similar production in the fall, especially with TCU incorporating more outside zone run schemes.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026
Joy Randolph, follows a desperate gallery owner (Portman) who schemes to sell a dead man as art at Art Basel in Miami.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
Chalamet embodies Marty’s arrant showmanship with an evident joy in performance, exactly as Marty himself schemes not only shamelessly but jubilantly.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Matthew quickly schemes his way into Oliver’s orbit after that first performance, impressing and rankling the group of lackeys in his entourage at the same time.
—Eric Torres, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
With one year left and her throne on the line, Queen Mo — who is 39 — and her raven sidekick JoJo hatch increasingly desperate schemes.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
Vrabel is truly an expert in NFL defensive schemes AND finding the way to a woman's heart.
—Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Jones, Rozier and Billups were among the more than 30 people charged between the two schemes.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Jones was one of three people charged in both the poker and sports betting schemes.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
As with the Steam Deck version, the touchpads here are most useful as a replacement for the mouse in the many PC games that still aren’t designed with handheld control schemes in mind.
—ArsTechnica, 27 Apr. 2026
Jones was one of three people charged in both the poker and sports betting schemes.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
According to some experts, this paralyzing fear and desperation are factors that scammers exploit to put their criminal schemes into action.
—Albinson Linares, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
Payne hopes to have similar production in the fall, especially with TCU incorporating more outside zone run schemes.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
Marty, who was loosely based on real-life ping-pong legend Marty Reisman, schemes his way to competitions across the globe and hustles for pocket cash.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026
Joy Randolph, follows a desperate gallery owner (Portman) who schemes to sell a dead man as art at Art Basel in Miami.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
Chalamet embodies Marty’s arrant showmanship with an evident joy in performance, exactly as Marty himself schemes not only shamelessly but jubilantly.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Matthew quickly schemes his way into Oliver’s orbit after that first performance, impressing and rankling the group of lackeys in his entourage at the same time.
—Eric Torres, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for schemes
Noun
-
Kids will quickly see through her ruses.—
Elise Broach,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
And then there’s the daffy spectacle of the films themselves, with plots beholden to almost avant-garde manipulations of time, space, and reality.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
-
This sets up a bafflingly complex series of plots and counterplots that can’t quite disguise the fact that there only two people in the movie’s world with pockets deep enough to buy out the company.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Liverpool have revised plans to increase ticket prices following protests and lengthy discussions with the club’s supporters’ board.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
Letter writer blames sister-in-law for brother’s non-Jewish funeral plans.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Washington Post,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The program included a technology deep dive exploring the science behind modern IPL devices, a creator roundtable discussing personal journeys around beauty and self-confidence and hands-on demonstrations that allowed attendees to experience the devices directly.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
-
The Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 will see its debut in devices overseas from brands like Oppo, realme, and REDMI.—
Florence Ion,
PC Magazine,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
In Russia, indulging in such conspiracies is often less an exercise in political prediction than an expression of deeper anxieties that can be otherwise hard to express.—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
Sheriff Griffin in North Carolina says many of these disaster tourists spread conspiracies and misinformation to help their videos go viral.—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
That’s leaving businesses across industries scrambling to reconfigure their supply chains and come up with strategies to offset the disruptions, according to the latest business surveys from the Institute for Supply Management.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
-
Törnberg’s research showed that, while numerous platform-level intervention strategies have been proposed to combat these issues, none are likely to be effective.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Davis occasionally destabilizes this very familiar soundtrack with sly production tricks from Horne.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
-
However, deer are adaptable creatures and often get used to the tricks put in their path, eventually ignoring attempts to deter them, Walke says.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The result—white ink against a deep blue background—reminded him of architectural blueprints.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
The downloadable content includes two operator skins, weapon blueprints, charms and other cosmetic items, along with experience boosts.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Schemes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/schemes. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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