as in ruses
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
must have employed some sophisticated sleight to con that wary couple out of their money
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sleights
Curtsies, snubs, sleights and behavior becoming (or unbecoming) of a Regency woman must pass a certain muster, because the world of the play is dependent upon dramaturgical accuracy.
—
David John Chávez, Mercury News, 30 Nov. 2025
David John Chávez, Mercury News, 30 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleights
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Our focus on our own ingroup makes our brains play tricks on us.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Just another one of his show-stopping tricks.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Officials say the scammers' schemes range from the savvy to the sloppy -- and all are brazen.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
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In Minnesota, investigators and journalists have raised serious questions about fraud schemes tied to networks that disproportionately benefited non-citizens, while the families actually paying into the system were left footing the bill.—
Jennifer Nassour,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Across the other devices, both Mac and Wearables, Home & Accessories sales declined year over year, while the market anticipated slight growth.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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Micro-robots and devices To demonstrate practical applications, the team fabricated several working devices.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sleights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleights. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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