1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in feats
an act of notable skill, strength, or cleverness
it'd be quite a trick to hit that target from here
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in traits
an odd or peculiar habit
a dog with the trick of eating cabbage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fools
to cause to believe what is untrue
you tricked me into thinking my ex wasn't coming to the party tonight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2026
On a recent thread on the r/GLP1microdosing subreddit, women shared their tips and tricks for hiding medication from their partners.
—Rebecca Flint Marx, SELF, 20 Apr. 2026
Jesse has a few tricks up his sleeve — and so does Deputy Chief Molly, for that matter.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
There was no single tool that could launch devastating new attacks, but large language models were still harnessed to supercharge old tricks of the trade.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2026
One of Bittner's favorite design tricks to use is repetition.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 17 Apr. 2026
Leave it to the Form and Refine Trefoil table to play visual tricks on your small space.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 16 Apr. 2026
Payment processors grew suspicious despite Cotter’s tricks, and by 2020 the US Postal Inspection Service had launched an investigation.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
The mother-daughter duo coordinated in shades of cream and brown, with Charlotte even borrowing some of her mom's styling tricks (both wore the British brand Self-Portrait, for example).
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 12 Apr. 2026
Noelle Harff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
During the final moments of the finale, Jimmy is seen sitting down for breakfast with Sofi after Paul (Harrison Ford) tricks him into meeting one last time.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
The Pitt sometimes tricks us about a character by giving us one perspective on them for a long time before revealing something totally different.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
Oppo has some additional fun software tricks up its sleeve.
—Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 17 Mar. 2026
Specific to the Celimax formula, the Vita A Retinal Shot contains matrixyl 3000, an anti-aging peptide, that tricks your skin to produce more collagen, leading to firmer, tighter looking skin.
—Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 10 Mar. 2026
Freeing up floor space by mounting items on walls or using floating furniture tricks the eye into seeing a larger room.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 9 Mar. 2026
Based on the real-life heroine’s memoir from a few years earlier, the movie centered on an Iranian man who tricks his American wife into going to the country and traps her there, using their child as a hostage.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Mar. 2026
So Hero, sadly, poor thing was subjected to his uncle’s terrible bad dad tricks.
—Max Gao, IndieWire, 4 Mar. 2026
Noun
From fusion tapas restaurants to a minor league baseball team, Dunedin has plenty of delightful tricks up its sleeve.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2026
On a recent thread on the r/GLP1microdosing subreddit, women shared their tips and tricks for hiding medication from their partners.
—Rebecca Flint Marx, SELF, 20 Apr. 2026
Jesse has a few tricks up his sleeve — and so does Deputy Chief Molly, for that matter.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
There was no single tool that could launch devastating new attacks, but large language models were still harnessed to supercharge old tricks of the trade.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2026
One of Bittner's favorite design tricks to use is repetition.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 17 Apr. 2026
Leave it to the Form and Refine Trefoil table to play visual tricks on your small space.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 16 Apr. 2026
Payment processors grew suspicious despite Cotter’s tricks, and by 2020 the US Postal Inspection Service had launched an investigation.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
The mother-daughter duo coordinated in shades of cream and brown, with Charlotte even borrowing some of her mom's styling tricks (both wore the British brand Self-Portrait, for example).
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
San Diego startup Neomorph on Monday announced a new $100 million investment for its molecular glue that tricks cancer cells into self-destructing.
—Noelle Harff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
During the final moments of the finale, Jimmy is seen sitting down for breakfast with Sofi after Paul (Harrison Ford) tricks him into meeting one last time.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
The Pitt sometimes tricks us about a character by giving us one perspective on them for a long time before revealing something totally different.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
Oppo has some additional fun software tricks up its sleeve.
—Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 17 Mar. 2026
Specific to the Celimax formula, the Vita A Retinal Shot contains matrixyl 3000, an anti-aging peptide, that tricks your skin to produce more collagen, leading to firmer, tighter looking skin.
—Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 10 Mar. 2026
Freeing up floor space by mounting items on walls or using floating furniture tricks the eye into seeing a larger room.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 9 Mar. 2026
Based on the real-life heroine’s memoir from a few years earlier, the movie centered on an Iranian man who tricks his American wife into going to the country and traps her there, using their child as a hostage.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Mar. 2026
So Hero, sadly, poor thing was subjected to his uncle’s terrible bad dad tricks.
—Max Gao, IndieWire, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tricks
Noun
-
Kids will quickly see through her ruses.—
Elise Broach,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The New York Colored American reported that some offers of short-term work for Black men — moving livestock to or from Kentucky, for example — were ruses that ended with kidnappings.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
And compared to some of Fleury’s past pranks on teammates, a few misplaced letters on a nameplate would be relatively light.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Of course, the pranks are all in good fun, with owners keeping things safe and playful.—
Kendall Malinchock,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For holistic wellness, Asaya Spa offers treatments and rituals rooted in the healing traditions of the local Huichol and Cora cultures.—
Carole Dixon,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The content gaining traction — tea rituals, slow routines, dense and futuristic cities, food culture that feels abundant and communal — maps precisely onto what young people say is missing from their own lives.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The San Marcos Festival dates back to the 16th century and includes a traditional running of the bulls through the town's streets along with feats and music, per the local authorities.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
-
But the scenic byway is also a journey through one of the most ambitious feats of early American road design.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The 6-3, 318-pound Hunter has good length (33 1/4-inch arms) but lacks explosive traits, as evidenced by his 21 1/2-inch vertical jump and 8-foot, four-inch broad jump.—
Tobias Bass,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Each has versatility and traits the Broncos like.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
What fools these non-OpenAI mortals must be.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
At the start of the year, China removed a three-decade-old tax exemption on contraceptive drugs and devices.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The suit alleged City Creek failed to reposition her every two hours in bed or her wheelchair, which is the clinical standard for people at risk of bedsores, and to promptly order devices to protect her skin.—
Jordan Rau,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The few works in the show depicting Stojka’s experiences before and after internment capture the particularity of Romani life.—
Ben Davis,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Where’s the respect for each other and each other’s experiences?—
T. M. Brown,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tricks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tricks. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
