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sleights

noun

plural of sleight
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

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleights
  1. ruses
  2. tricks
  3. schemes
  4. devices
Noun
  • There’s a delightful secret history of Hollywood directors whose ruses and stratagems bought them an unusual amount of leeway with their scripts.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Even before pro-party AI ruses were possible, the Chinese government and its supporters flooded social media with pro-China propaganda and vicious attacks on critics.
    — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Definition of ruses
Noun
  • There’s an almost comically blasé way in which the performers — who are used to such spectacles — go about their work an hour before thousands of audience members will gasp and clap at the same tricks.
    — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • But when there isn’t a live event, the venue has been developing a slate of original programming that can run all day and night, with a few 4D tricks up its sleeve too.
    — Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of tricks
Noun
  • Dak Prescott also didn’t seem to know how to figure out the new Giants schemes.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Americans have been suckered by fraudsters so bold that their schemes are now part of everyday speech.
    — Jonathan Fahey, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of schemes
Noun
  • Based on the novel by Daniel Pinkwater, Lizard Music follows a boy (Leber) left to his own devices who stumbles upon a secret late-night broadcast of lizards playing otherworldly music — a hidden door to the extraordinary then swinging open.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Anyone using their phone during the set will be escorted out of the venue, and if needed, devices can be unlocked and used in special areas of each venue.
    — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of devices

Browse Nearby Words

sleight of hand
sleights
sleights of hand
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Cite this Entry

“Sleights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleights. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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