as in schemes
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 machinations
While not a public trade request, which is banned by the NBA, backchannel machinations have made apparent that Butler would agree to a trade to any of the 29 other NBA teams, the South Florida Sun Sentinel confirmed.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2025
Read on for their views on players to watch this year, the state of the political machinations at the top of tennis, and more.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
This holiday week, the Tribune Editorial Board is looking back at the year through editorials covering Chicagoland, the machinations of City Hall, the presidential election of 2024 and national and world affairs.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 Dec. 2024
In addition, a person intimately familiar with the machinations of recent days said that at no point has Butler requested a trade.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2024
But her routine is disrupted when an eight-year-old American boy arrives at the hotel and becomes wise to her machinations.
—The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Though, ultimately, plot machinations will wind up being less important than the relationships between the characters.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024
And now there's a trailer to sate your thirst for Alan Cumming's sartorial flare or the machinations of reality stars and the occasional British Lord.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2024
Beyond the Kessler connection, there are other interesting parallels between Belichick’s career machinations this week and those of a quarter-century ago, which served as a combative, if telling, prelude to his iconic run with the New England Patriots.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 15 Dec. 2024
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2025
Read on for their views on players to watch this year, the state of the political machinations at the top of tennis, and more.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
This holiday week, the Tribune Editorial Board is looking back at the year through editorials covering Chicagoland, the machinations of City Hall, the presidential election of 2024 and national and world affairs.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 Dec. 2024
In addition, a person intimately familiar with the machinations of recent days said that at no point has Butler requested a trade.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2024
But her routine is disrupted when an eight-year-old American boy arrives at the hotel and becomes wise to her machinations.
—The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Though, ultimately, plot machinations will wind up being less important than the relationships between the characters.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024
And now there's a trailer to sate your thirst for Alan Cumming's sartorial flare or the machinations of reality stars and the occasional British Lord.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2024
Beyond the Kessler connection, there are other interesting parallels between Belichick’s career machinations this week and those of a quarter-century ago, which served as a combative, if telling, prelude to his iconic run with the New England Patriots.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 15 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Machinations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/machinations. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share