Thesaurus results for SCHEMES

schemes 1 of 2

noun

plural of scheme

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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as in plots

a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends a scheme to kidnap the president's daughter

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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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schemes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of scheme

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

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 schemes

Noun

Madigan, meanwhile, was convicted in a separate trial of an array of schemes that included the ComEd bribery payments. —

Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026 Butterfly Jam revolves around a teenager growing up in New Jersey’s Circassian community, with dreams of becoming a wrestler, whose life takes an unexpected turn when one of his father’s misguided schemes goes wrong. —

Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026 Scammers are combining tactics, using identity theft to unlock accounts, then moving money through investment scams, impersonation schemes or social engineering attacks. —

Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2026 Cities like London and Paris have become known for phone snatching schemes, and locals use these chains to protect themselves. —

Rebecca Shinners, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026 Regulators and former employees call it one of the most notorious chameleon schemes — a ticking time bomb on our nation's roadways. —

Ashley Velie, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026 Billboard lawyers filing tens of thousands of suits through assignment-of-benefits schemes drove insurers out of the market and rates through the roof. —

David Wilson, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026 Their schemes to push Asian-American kids out of their dream schools for racial reasons would have been perfectly legal. —

Alison Somin, Oc Register, 10 Apr. 2026 Its sibling Core, meanwhile, is all about balance (drawing details from both Italian design schemes and explorer features) and family experiences, with a roomy main deck pantry and an owner’s balcony that acts as a private retreat. —

Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 9 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

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