TRICKS Synonyms: 247 Similar and Opposite Words

tricks 1 of 2

noun

plural of trick

as in ruses

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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as in pranks

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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as in rituals

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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as in feats

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

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as in traits

an odd or peculiar habit a dog with the trick of eating cabbage

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

conformities

tricks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of trick

as in fools

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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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 tricks

Noun

Standard Tactics Lose Their Edge Here The biggest surprise was that the tricks our agency uses for clients didn’t work here! — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 The voices and visions play tricks and offer surprises, and there’s a sense of humour even when tragedy is lurking in the wings. — Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026 Then, use one of these simple tricks to remove leftover wax and scrub soot away with warm water, soap, and a brush when you’re done. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 9 Aug. 2026 Grasses Other Ways to Extend Blooms Deadheading is just one way to extend the bloom season; there are other tricks for keeping the color. — Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2026 Tau has long been considered one of Alzheimer’s most important culprits, but Stanford researchers have now uncovered what may be one of the protein’s most damaging tricks, a new Neuron paper shows. — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 7 Aug. 2026 Abernathy Greenway Park walk with Trees Atlanta Take a walk through the park with a Trees Atlanta docent, who will teach simple tricks for telling trees apart and share stories about why trees are important and how to protect them. — Mary Caldwell, AJC.com, 4 Aug. 2026 While there are many ways to preserve flowers, hydrangeas hold up best through drying, and according to florist Joanne Effinger, Garden Director at Bluepoint Hospitality in Easton, Maryland, there are a few tricks to get it right. — Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 31 July 2026 Jean nearly kills Metzger with her newfound tricks before Spidey talks her down. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026

Verb

Short crown layers build lift and help create volume, which tricks the eye into seeing more density overall, and face-framing pieces create visual fullness around the face. — Marci Robin, Allure, 11 Aug. 2026 Lord Ormund’s Gambit Lord Ormund has many, many tricks up his green sleeves. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026 In effect, RedHook tricks the phone into connecting to its own powerful debugging controls, giving the malware deeper access without a computer. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026 Exterior walls, similarly, may be warmer than an interior wall, which tricks the thermostat and causes the AC to run longer than necessary. — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 15 July 2026 Cthulhu, who tricks the Minions into releasing his friends from purgatory. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 June 2026 Removing fading flowers and their seed pods tricks the plant to redirect its energy from producing seeds to producing more scapes and flower buds, as well as putting energy into root development and storing energy for the next growing season. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 June 2026 Well, at least Cindy's been fighting the good fight, which Brenda tricks her into waging alone every time. — Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026 One possible danger is a rogue network that tricks people into joining. — ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tricks

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

Root had also worked with Rhys on Perry Mason and was quite literally along for the ride with his behind-the-scenes pranks on that show.

— Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
The implication was that Gastélum, while performing juvenile pranks, had been making a subtle nod to one group’s power.

— Kevin Sieff, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of pranks

Noun

Yet Saint-Tropez remains stubbornly itself, with social rituals and unspoken conventions that aren't always obvious at first.

— Lanie Goodman, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
The story follows a husband and wife who buy their dream ranch only to discover the land is alive with ancient spirits, and survival means submitting to increasingly disturbing rituals with each turn of the season.

— Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of rituals

Noun

Alpha-Zero achieved these feats by playing tens of millions of games against itself—that is, by gathering experiences.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
Whisenant had made a name for himself in Yosemite’s climbing community with a series of impressive feats on El Capitan, one of the most challenging places to rock-climb.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of feats

Noun

But this was his first opportunity to play against a live pass rush, which tested one of the traits that drew Los Angeles to Simpson.

— Nate Atkins, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
In theory, Daniels could sue LSU for misappropriation of his right of publicity, which forbids the unauthorized commercial use of a college athlete’s name, image, likeness, signature, voice, nickname and other identifying traits.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of traits

Noun

Apple's AirTag is among the popular devices that help people find their keys or other items.

— Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
On July 28, the nearby city of Stoughton also voted to cancel its own Flock contract, paying a $12,500 early buyout fee after intense local opposition to the devices.

— Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of devices

Noun

Naturally, their experiences heavily shaped the hotel’s aesthetic, bringing layers of Tibetan, Persian, Indian, and Uzbek influences into the centuries-old adobe buildings.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026
The company has more than 60 original IPs in development across film, animation, games, consumer products and immersive experiences.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026