as in ruses
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
tried various stratagems to get the cat into the carrier, but the feisty feline was wise to them all
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of stratagems
There are some other fun stats in there, including a ranking of the game's most popular stratagems.
—
Ian Stokes, Space.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Ian Stokes, Space.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stratagems
Noun
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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
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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
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Over the past decade, United States Attorney’s Offices in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia have charged dozens of individuals in corruption and fraud schemes involving college coaches, players and athletic department personnel.—
Robert L. Boone,
Sportico.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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The company described cargo theft as a growing issue marked by increasing sophistication in the schemes used by criminals.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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During the Apollo missions, astronauts used urine collection and transfer devices, as well as plastic bags taped to the buttocks to collect feces.—
ByMary Kekatos,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Our bill will ban the federal government from buying and operating these devices made in countries that wish us harm.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Tiffany has a few tricks up its sleeve that aren’t jewelry or limited-edition chronograph, one of which is this shapely teapot.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
31 Mar. 2026
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Maybe the tricks learned during this trial can help drivers form some better, cheaper habits to continue when gas prices inevitably decrease again.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stratagems.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stratagems. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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