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
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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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tricks
Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
However, deer are adaptable creatures and often get used to the tricks put in their path, eventually ignoring attempts to deter them, Walke says.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 26 Apr. 2026
On Saturday night, attendees at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner will thrill to the antics of Oz Pearlman, a renowned mentalist who dazzles audiences with mind-reading tricks.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
Stop Clutter at the Door One of Kessman's favorite tricks is to place a large basket near the front door for her kids' backpacks.
—Melissa Epifano, The Spruce, 24 Apr. 2026
The standard model sounds just as good as the step-up version with active noise cancellation, and because they’re outfitted with Apple’s H2 chip, those with a Mac or iPhone can leverage all sorts of ecosystem tricks, from automatic device switching to hands-free Siri commands.
—Brandon Widder, The Verge, 24 Apr. 2026
Activities for all ages include painting rocks to decorate your pollinator gardens, crafts and education on monarch butterflies and a variety of yard care and repair tips and tricks for the adults out there.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
And to check into a new offering that proves this luxury hotel group still has a few tricks up its sleeve.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Depending on how a camera is angled or whether any tricks or special effects are used, celebrities can appear to be nearly any height on-screen.
—Katie Labovitz, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
Davis occasionally destabilizes this very familiar soundtrack with sly production tricks from Horne.
—Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
However, deer are adaptable creatures and often get used to the tricks put in their path, eventually ignoring attempts to deter them, Walke says.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 26 Apr. 2026
On Saturday night, attendees at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner will thrill to the antics of Oz Pearlman, a renowned mentalist who dazzles audiences with mind-reading tricks.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
Stop Clutter at the Door One of Kessman's favorite tricks is to place a large basket near the front door for her kids' backpacks.
—Melissa Epifano, The Spruce, 24 Apr. 2026
The standard model sounds just as good as the step-up version with active noise cancellation, and because they’re outfitted with Apple’s H2 chip, those with a Mac or iPhone can leverage all sorts of ecosystem tricks, from automatic device switching to hands-free Siri commands.
—Brandon Widder, The Verge, 24 Apr. 2026
Activities for all ages include painting rocks to decorate your pollinator gardens, crafts and education on monarch butterflies and a variety of yard care and repair tips and tricks for the adults out there.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
And to check into a new offering that proves this luxury hotel group still has a few tricks up its sleeve.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Depending on how a camera is angled or whether any tricks or special effects are used, celebrities can appear to be nearly any height on-screen.
—Katie Labovitz, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
One possible danger is a rogue network that tricks people into joining.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
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
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
-
Popularized by social media and wellness culture, these sellers often provide photos of candle rituals and offer customized services.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The key is choosing items that reflect her daily rituals and specific tastes rather than grabbing whatever is generic and available.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
28 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
-
Sometimes the batteries on the trackers would run low, and McGovern’s team would need to remove and recharge the devices, before surreptitiously replacing them.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In 2021, a critical vulnerability in Log4j—a logging library maintained by a handful of volunteers—exposed hundreds of millions of devices.—
Evan Johnson,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 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 1 May. 2026.
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