counterplot 1 of 2

noun

Definition of counterplotnext
as in intrigue

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counterplot

2 of 2

verb

as in to plot

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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 counterplot
Noun
Bit by bit, the castle at Elsinore (broodingly rendered by scenic designer Lee Savage) turns into a stage for life-and-death plots and counterplots. — Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2019 There’s something comforting about the normalcy of plot and counterplot, action and intrigue. — Mike Hale, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterplot
  1. intrigue
  2. plot
  3. machination
  4. scheme
  5. subterfuge
  6. conspire
  7. conspiracy
  8. contrive
Noun
  • Come 2028, the Democratic presidential campaign promises to be a banger, with all sorts of intrigue and subplots layered within a wide-open fight for the nomination.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The intrigue of what might be beyond the curve or around the corner takes the mind away from the size of the space and focuses it on the content of the garden.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of intrigue
Verb
  • For the celebration itself, Jess and Nasko plotted a week of activities bouncing off (American) Labor Day weekend.
    — Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
  • With the room shaking, the show’s producer, Bob Johnston, plotted a course toward the nearest group of guards.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
Definition of plot
Noun
  • However, year after year, predicting Preller’s midsummer machinations has proved a largely futile endeavor.
    — Dennis Lin, New York Times, 30 July 2026
  • Kapor had a lot more to say, about blazing a trail without a map, about the machinations of markets, and about the opportunities that the world is exploring now.
    — John Werner, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of machination
Verb
  • Corey Hawkins as Polybus Polybus is another one of Penelope’s many suitors who scheme to take her hand and kingdoms for themselves.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • Ten years on, after devising the victorious Trojan Horse gambit, Ulysses attempts to return to Ithaca and the pining Penelope, whose palace has been overrun with scheming suitors seeking her hand.
    — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 16 July 2026
Definition of scheme
Noun
  • Her subterfuge eventually drives Frank to unknowingly hire Ariane’s own father to learn her identity.
    — Air Mail, Air Mail, 18 July 2026
  • The majority sees this as subterfuge.
    — Morgan Marietta, The Conversation, 26 June 2026
Definition of subterfuge
Verb
  • That March, Stewart was convicted of conspiring with her Merrill Lynch stockbroker, Peter Bacanovic, to deceive authorities probing her December 2001 sale of the ImClone stock.
    — Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Prosecutors alleged that Craig's homicide prompted Larry and Samuel to conspire with their fellow gang members to kill a witness to Craig's death, prosecutors said.
    — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Definition of conspire
Noun
  • That includes $4 million from Richard Uihlein, the Illinois billionaire and Trump supporter who often funds organizations and causes that promote election conspiracies and far-right candidates.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
  • With their claims of conspiracies and control of the wind, the Republicans have become the party of magical thinking.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of conspiracy
Verb
  • Until, of course, the final game (which was not technically the final)… when Brazil contrived to lose a 1-0 lead, and Uruguay triumphed against all odds.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 23 July 2026
  • The British hotel chain Malmaison contrived the United Kingdom’s first prison-into-hotel conversion as part of an urban renewal project at Oxford Castle, situated between Oxford’s train station and shopping district.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 July 2026
Definition of contrive

Browse Nearby Words

counterplans
counterplot
counterplots
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Cite this Entry

“Counterplot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterplot. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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