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as in feat
an act of notable skill, strength, or cleverness it'd be quite a trick to hit that target from here

Synonyms & Similar Words

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trick

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verb

trick

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adjective

Synonym Chooser

How is the word trick different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of trick are artifice, feint, maneuver, ruse, stratagem, and wile. While all these words mean "an indirect means to gain an end," trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.

the tricks of the trade

When could artifice be used to replace trick?

Although the words artifice and trick have much in common, artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention.

the clever artifices of the stage

When would feint be a good substitute for trick?

The words feint and trick can be used in similar contexts, but feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.

a feint toward the enemy's left flank

In what contexts can maneuver take the place of trick?

While in some cases nearly identical to trick, maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.

last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy

When can ruse be used instead of trick?

While the synonyms ruse and trick are close in meaning, ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.

the ruses of smugglers

When is it sensible to use stratagem instead of trick?

In some situations, the words stratagem and trick are roughly equivalent. However, stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.

the stratagem-filled game

When is wile a more appropriate choice than trick?

The meanings of wile and trick largely overlap; however, wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.

used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself

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 trick
Noun
But the boa’s elusiveness isn’t just a trick of light. Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2025 Equal to Tesfaye’s navel-gazing, Shults uses every trick in the music-video playbook to conjure a vivid, ultra-saturated but not quite realistic universe where the Weeknd is a brightly burning sun everyone revolves around. Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 15 May 2025
Verb
In the case of carrion mimicry, however, plants are generally tricking their insect visitors. Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 8 May 2025 The buyer says the local developer tricked it into thinking the lease with Regis was a triple net and that the 33,000-square-foot building was in good condition. Justin Wingerter, Denver Post, 5 May 2025
Adjective
As Halloween approaches, investors seem fearful that good credit performance may be more trick than treat. Telis Demos, WSJ, 21 Oct. 2022 If the high cost of it all is more trick than treat for you, here are several ways to turn your already smart home into a spook-tacularly genius haunted house. Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2021 See All Example Sentences for trick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trick
Noun
  • Can Charity, who is not exactly mentally stable, maintain the ruse forever?
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 May 2025
  • Despite multiple interviews, background checks, and reference calls, the ruse held until malware activity triggered an alert.
    Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The abysmal prank — which ran over several toe-curling episodes — became emblematic of a season that couldn’t get off the ground.
    Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2025
  • According to Gothamist, which spoke with a Collegiate faculty member who wished to remain anonymous, this year's senior prank — a tradition at the Upper West Side school in Manhattan — mimicked a border patrol checkpoint, offending several students, teachers and administrators.
    David Chiu, People.com, 6 May 2025
Noun
  • In each iteration, the body of the deceased was pulled by livestock or carried by boat while mourners performed rituals to honor their lives and, in some cultures, to encourage safe passage for the spirit into the afterlife.
    Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 10 May 2025
  • Generations pass, cultures overlap, and trends evolve, but the sanctity of beauty rituals for and by ourselves remain.
    Cierra Black, Essence, 9 May 2025
Noun
  • Other Yankees to accomplish the feat include Tom Tresh, Roy White and Mark Teixeira, who actually did it two other times with two other teams.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2025
  • The feat now ties them with Blur, Kasabian, Barbara Streisand, George Michael, Muse, The Prodigy and Paul McCartney (solo) on the all-time list of acts who have landed seven No. 1s.
    Thomas Smith, Billboard, 9 May 2025
Noun
  • Powered by Adelaide, Forbes AI Psychological safety, defined by McKinsey as the absence of interpersonal fear, is often cited as a defining trait of high-performing, innovative teams.
    Cynthia Pong, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
  • Wirtz is focused more on the micro, with delicate touches and deft flicks, compared to Szoboszlai’s macro traits of energy and power.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • That hasn’t stopped Liverpool using him to distract and deceive opponents when free kicks are won, however.
    Gregg Evans, New York Times, 8 May 2025
  • She was also found guilty of deceiving other officials about the man's identity.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 May 2025
Adjective
  • But injuries can be tricky, and this is the first major one that the star forward has dealt with.
    Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
  • For the hazards of the tricky pedestrian crossings.
    Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 18 May 2025
Noun
  • In 2021 and 2022, Robinson received about $76,000 through the bogus billing scheme, according to prosecutors.
    Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 13 May 2025
  • Hometown’s stock price rose by more than 900% during the scheme.
    Dan Mangan, CNBC, 13 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Trick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trick. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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