1
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
asking me to take her shopping turned out to be a ploy to get me to the surprise party
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2
as in spree
a time or instance of carefree fun
wanted one grand ploy through Europe before settling down and raising a family
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ploy
The Thing’s appearance was also a ploy to spark buzz for the upcoming season of the hit series.
—
Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
The Thing’s first pitch was a ploy to spark buzz for the upcoming season of Wednesday.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Kern drew backlash for changing his surname from Hidalgo to Kern ahead of a 1998 congressional run, which opponents called a ploy to appeal to White voters.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 26 Mar. 2026
Industry watchdogs say threatening closure in response to state or federal enforcement actions is a familiar ploy for nursing home owners.
—Eli Cahan, ProPublica, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ploy
Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
The Thing’s first pitch was a ploy to spark buzz for the upcoming season of Wednesday.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Kern drew backlash for changing his surname from Hidalgo to Kern ahead of a 1998 congressional run, which opponents called a ploy to appeal to White voters.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 26 Mar. 2026
Industry watchdogs say threatening closure in response to state or federal enforcement actions is a familiar ploy for nursing home owners.
—Eli Cahan, ProPublica, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ploy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ploy
Noun
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Operation Mincemeat was such a successful ruse that even after the Allies’ arrival, German forces continued to leave the island for Greece or Sardinia, still certain that Sicily was just a diversion.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
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Ultimately, the report states, the video call was a ruse, falsely portraying the child as safe and in the care of a non-relative in California.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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During the buying spree, the company surpassed BlackRock’s popular Bitcoin ETF in total Bitcoin holdings.—
Jack Kubinec,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
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Police response and pressure to stop the spree The LAPD has increased patrols, deployed air support and license plate readers, and expanded coordination across units in response to the spike.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Depth chart impact Hunter has scheme versatility, but most analysts project him as a nose tackle, where Bobby Brown is the Panthers’ incumbent.—
Tobias Bass,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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This new court filing is a transparent forum-shopping tactic in their scheme to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars from Michael’s estate and companies.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Lemon was also the Trojans’ primary return man during his sophomore and junior seasons and was even used on a trick play against Oregon this season that resulted in a 24-yard touchdown pass to then-freshman Tanook Hines.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
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The trio of Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm and Geekie can be trick-or-treat and Sturm was well aware of that when the series began.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ploy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ploy. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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