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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Recent Examples of ploy
Gaetz already resigned his Florida congressional seat last week in what many believed was a ploy to avoid disclosure of a congressional Ethics Committee report.
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Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 21 Nov. 2024
The ploy worked—Shaboozey was featured on two songs on Beyoncé’s chart-topping Cowboy Carter album.
—Zoya Hasan, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
The bond manager believes the Rassemblement National is hoping to use the vote of no-confidence as a negotiating ploy to extract further concessions from Barnier’s budget and water down social welfare cuts.
—Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2024
Some would-be trappers started to leave saucers of whiskey in the nearby woods, hoping that drunk monkeys would be easier to capture—and, supposedly, the ploy worked.
—Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ploy 
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 21 Nov. 2024
The ploy worked—Shaboozey was featured on two songs on Beyoncé’s chart-topping Cowboy Carter album.
—Zoya Hasan, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
The bond manager believes the Rassemblement National is hoping to use the vote of no-confidence as a negotiating ploy to extract further concessions from Barnier’s budget and water down social welfare cuts.
—Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2024
Some would-be trappers started to leave saucers of whiskey in the nearby woods, hoping that drunk monkeys would be easier to capture—and, supposedly, the ploy worked.
—Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ploy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ploy
Noun
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His repetitive claim of being open and transparent is a ruse.Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 Dec. 2024
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Still, even if his insanity plea is a ruse or even a supremely deadpan joke, this CIA isn't going to make its way onto anyone's list of best companies to work for.Tom Gliatto, People.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Taylor Swift has long been known for surprising her fans with presents, whether going on a holiday gift-buying spree back in 2015, or donating funds to their GoFundMe campaigns over the years.Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 23 Dec. 2024
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Three men from Europe were arrested in Wethersfield on Friday in connection with an ATM skimming spree in Hartford County, state police said.Staff report, Hartford Courant, 23 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Additionally, texts and calls from other people who interacted with the Salt Typhoon targets were inherently also caught up in the espionage scheme.Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2024
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They have also been used to create deepfake images or videos of famous people promoting investment schemes and non-existent or counterfeit products.Audrey Nguyen, NPR, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
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As for the pineapple addition to the drink, eating the fruit is another common, nonmedical trick that people suggest for getting labor started (some people also swear by it when trying to conceive).Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 18 Dec. 2024
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The gods prove cruel but not omnipotent, and the modern settings exert their own redemptive pull; the final effect is that of a magic trick, in which the characters manage, in each film’s miraculous closing moments, to slip the bonds of tragedy.Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Ploy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ploy. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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