1
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
her husband used every trick in the book to get out of appearing in his parish's fashion show
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2
as in prank
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke
thought that gluing the silver dollar to the floor and watching him struggle to pick it up would be a good trick
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3
as in ritual
a usual manner of behaving or doing
that deadbeat is up to his usual tricks: once again he's claiming the check is in the mail
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4
as in feat
an act of notable skill, strength, or cleverness
it'd be quite a trick to hit that target from here
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5
as in trait
an odd or peculiar habit
a dog with the trick of eating cabbage
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue
you tricked me into thinking my ex wasn't coming to the party tonight
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tricky
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of trick
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2026
That has been a new trick for the Chicago Bulls this season.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 31 Dec. 2025
This tricks incoming missiles into targeting the decoy instead of the actual jet.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2021
And arguably, given the variety of cask types used by the distillery, Angel’s Envy is actually a multi-trick pony.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 June 2021
See All Example Sentences for trick
Noun
María Zardoya played her debut show under her solo project Not For Radio with a few tricks up her sleeve.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2026
That has been a new trick for the Chicago Bulls this season.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
According to a press release from the office, many Idahoans have received texts trying to trick recipients into clicking links to claim a $2,000 check.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 31 Dec. 2025
This tricks incoming missiles into targeting the decoy instead of the actual jet.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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
And arguably, given the variety of cask types used by the distillery, Angel’s Envy is actually a multi-trick pony.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 June 2021
See All Example Sentences for trick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trick
Noun
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Over the course of their military demonstration, Roper’s men kill wandering father and son villagers, and Pine kills Corky in a violent fight, setting him up as an inside leak to keep his ruse alive.—
Jake Kring-Schreifels,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Behind the scenes, as reporters tried to substantiate the claims, the ruse continued — still with AI.—
Lauren Wilson,
NBC news,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Rose also likes pulling lighthearted pranks to make others laugh.—
The Star,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Based on Agatha Christie’s thrilling mystery, the upcoming Netflix series of the same name is a detective story about a sleuth who investigates a prank gone tragically wrong.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Mirta describes the family’s new Saturday ritual of sitting on the couch and watching videos of Carillo.—
Kevin Maurer,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
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Still, one of Winter's most important pre-show rituals is something that has become somewhat of a tradition for fans as well.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But the feat came at a painful price, both physically and financially.—
Juli McDonald,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The feat was achieved by radiochemistry experts at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recently.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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By examining liver cells as the disease progressed, researchers saw that healthy liver functions slowly shut down and survival traits took over.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The Louisville transfer features the size (6-6, 325), length and explosive traits NFL defensive coordinators covet and QBs usually lose sleep over.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sextortion, a scheme where victims are deceived into sending online perpetrators explicit images and then blackmailed in exchange for money or additional graphic content, has affected thousands of teens in recent years and led to multiple suicide deaths.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Fortunately, the American public is much more informed and less likely to be deceived by the meat and dairy industry than in 1977.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Finding the right shade can be surprisingly tricky.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
-
That’s been a tricky one to try and get right without being heavy-handed and being fair to everyone on both sides of that conversation.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Sammis runs a pro-style scheme that prioritizes a strong run game and being efficient with the passing attack.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Williamson, Newsom’s former chief of staff, pleaded not guilty in November in a scheme to enrich her friend Sean McCluskie, a longtime deputy to former Attorney General Xavier Becerra, using money funneled from one of Becerra’s dormant campaign accounts.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trick. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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