smoke screen

Definition of smoke screennext

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 smoke screen Another thing worth noting is that there are plenty of smoke screens that emerge from the winter meetings. Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025 Set the smoke screens differently depending on the wind. Carolyn Forché, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025 Politicians should weigh genuine options and be forced, to whatever extent possible, to explain their ends, rather than treat such ideals as democracy and freedom like smoke screens for secret ones. Samuel Moyn, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025 The nominal aims of orders to, for example, stop anti-semitism or halt the teaching of diversity, equity and inclusion topics are smoke screens for an attempt to hobble institutions that are perceived to house a liberal elite. William Stafford Noble, Chicago Tribune, 10 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for smoke screen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoke screen
Noun
  • Run up there, get to the front.
    John Kenney, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Terrence Smith and the woman were in the middle of a heated argument in front of a building on Eastern Parkway near Utica Ave.
    Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The large slats of shutters might be easier to vacuum than those of mini blinds or even cellular shades, so make a plan based on your window blind type and style.
    Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Small branches can be clipped quickly and almost noiselessly and fashioned into an effective blind in only a few minutes.
    Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Prosecutors charged Said with racketeering and multiple counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle in connection with an alleged scheme that defrauded Minnesota’s Medicaid program of nearly $11 million, according to the criminal complaint.
    Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Said is charged with 10 felony counts, including theft by swindle and racketeering.
    Chloe Rosen, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The acquisition came after Jones was found guilty multiple times of defaming the families of the children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, after repeatedly describing the massacre as a hoax.
    Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Over a recent five-year span, 4% of Amber Alerts nationwide were determined to be hoaxes, where people intentionally misled law enforcement.
    Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In Los Angeles County alone, hundreds of hospice providers have been flagged with indicators of fraud, pointing to a level of activity that is far more systemic than isolated incidents.
    Tom Koutsoumpas, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
  • He has been charged by the Justice Department with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud and making an unlawful monetary transaction.
    Hallie Golden, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Diplomacy and the pragmatic duplicity that sometimes accompanies it are ingrained at every level of Iran’s political class.
    Nic Robertson, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
  • For some, the implications of duplicity and obscured identity in the line could well apply to its author—and thereby hangs a tale.
    Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • There was some physicality – McAvoy absolutely buried Peyton Krebs off the hop – but little post-whistle chicanery.
    Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Just typical power-grabbing Idaho lawmaker chicanery, right?
    Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • These tools are best used by professionals in the service of their profession, not as a clever end run around it, and certainly not as a path to eventually replacing it.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 22 Apr. 2026
  • The Supreme Court would eventually be asked to bless this end run around its previous decisions — not just Citizens United, but related rulings from 1976 and 2010.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Smoke screen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoke%20screen. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

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