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.
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Recent Examples of tricks
Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Just another one of his show-stopping tricks.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Got tips, tricks or just want to say hello?
—Riley Bunch, AJC.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Can an aging bull learn some new tricks to continue pleasing its owners?
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2026
These fake Chrome add-ons did not rely on flashy tricks or obvious warnings.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Noma has a few tricks up its sleeve to provide more affordable access, including for industry, and give back to the community.
—Emily Wilson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Jan. 2026
Prevent a mess of plastic bags under the sink by using these expert organizing tricks.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Jan. 2026
Tommy engages the audience in all of his tricks and shows kids how much fun reading can be.
—Travis Pinson, Dallas Morning News, 19 Jan. 2026
Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
This tricks incoming missiles into targeting the decoy instead of the actual jet.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
The dark color of the dress also tricks the eye into seeing a longer, cleaner look.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Nov. 2025
Mulching too early traps heat and tricks plant roots to remain active and produce new growth.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2025
An unexpected, shocking tax bill owed after a scammer tricks you into draining a retirement fund to hand over your money to them.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Mykal-Michelle Harris from Raven’s Home guest-stars as Ruby, a mischievous moon imp who tricks Vee.
—Allison McClain Merrill, Parents, 27 Oct. 2025
Still, nothing tricks us into the spirit of autumn quite like scent.
—Raquel Reichard, Refinery29, 1 Oct. 2025
The interference has included both jamming—overpowering communications with strong radio signals—and spoofing, which tricks receivers into misreading their location or even the time.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
Our focus on our own ingroup makes our brains play tricks on us.
—Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Just another one of his show-stopping tricks.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Got tips, tricks or just want to say hello?
—Riley Bunch, AJC.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Can an aging bull learn some new tricks to continue pleasing its owners?
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2026
These fake Chrome add-ons did not rely on flashy tricks or obvious warnings.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Noma has a few tricks up its sleeve to provide more affordable access, including for industry, and give back to the community.
—Emily Wilson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Jan. 2026
Prevent a mess of plastic bags under the sink by using these expert organizing tricks.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Jan. 2026
Tommy engages the audience in all of his tricks and shows kids how much fun reading can be.
—Travis Pinson, Dallas Morning News, 19 Jan. 2026
Verb
One of the dangers of the Midwestern climate is a late-winter warm spell that thaws the soil and tricks bulbs and other plants into sprouting too early.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
This tricks incoming missiles into targeting the decoy instead of the actual jet.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
The dark color of the dress also tricks the eye into seeing a longer, cleaner look.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Nov. 2025
Mulching too early traps heat and tricks plant roots to remain active and produce new growth.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2025
An unexpected, shocking tax bill owed after a scammer tricks you into draining a retirement fund to hand over your money to them.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Mykal-Michelle Harris from Raven’s Home guest-stars as Ruby, a mischievous moon imp who tricks Vee.
—Allison McClain Merrill, Parents, 27 Oct. 2025
Still, nothing tricks us into the spirit of autumn quite like scent.
—Raquel Reichard, Refinery29, 1 Oct. 2025
The interference has included both jamming—overpowering communications with strong radio signals—and spoofing, which tricks receivers into misreading their location or even the time.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tricks
Noun
-
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
-
Many suspect a spam call and don't pick up the phone, leading foundation staff to sometimes devise ruses.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Reba McEntire is a survivor — of six years of pranks!—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Jan. 2026
-
This is an utterly throwaway slice of college comedy, rather more concerned with sports, pranks, and teen/20-something romance than getting lost on the final frontier.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Leaders compelled members to participate in expensive rituals, make lavish donations, and provide the Church with free labor.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Tierra Santa Healing House introduces a comprehensive spa and longevity experience, featuring immersive hydrothermal rituals, botanical steam rooms infused with South American herbs, horizontal rain shower beds, cold plunge and red-light therapy and couples heated stone beds.—
Emma Kershaw,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Megadeth have endured more personnel changes than any other thrash institution, and while Mustaine has firmly maintained the spotlight, the band’s greatest feats have always been a team effort.—
Eli Enis,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Unlike other Guinness feats, no one holds the title for very long.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Järnkrok is an undersized forward who doesn’t play with any physicality — not exactly traits generally prized by Berube.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
That was one of the traits that stood out to the Chicago White Sox.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Across the other devices, both Mac and Wearables, Home & Accessories sales declined year over year, while the market anticipated slight growth.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Micro-robots and devices To demonstrate practical applications, the team fabricated several working devices.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
On the domestic front, Vance is deeply affected by his experiences growing up in a small town in middle America, a town that had seen better days.—
Frank DeVito,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The show can be a gentle tool for families to introduce conversations about diverse experiences and voices, helping children see that history is made up of many stories, not just one.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The researchers concluded prevention efforts should focus on improving lifestyle habits when spending more time awake at night.—
Dr. Joseph Wendt,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
For electric vehicles, AI will optimize battery health, charging behavior, and energy usage based on driving habits and environmental conditions.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tricks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tricks. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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