ploys

noun

plural of ploy
1
as in ruses
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in sprees
a time or instance of carefree fun wanted one grand ploy through Europe before settling down and raising a family

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 ploys Lyman Ward played Ferris' dad, whose busy work schedule kept him conveniently distracted from his teenage son's ploys. — Emma Urdangen, PEOPLE, 14 June 2026 No tactical ploys or tweaks could save him. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 25 May 2026 While court orders that block counterfeiters can help to safeguard intellectual property, sometimes those counterfeiters simply turn to other aliases and cybersquatting ploys to continue their activities. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 May 2026 After several unsuccessful ploys by his henchmen to save his life — including one that would be attempted post-hanging — Cardinella was down to one last try. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026 There’s the White House and its malicious megaphone of mindlessness; the generative AI advocates and their pushy, pathetic ploys; the Major League Baseball owners and their dedication to self-destruction. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026 Their poverty, the fruit of Salieri’s malicious ploys, tests the limits of their endurance. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026 There are numerous other bold characters getting tangled up in new ploys aimed at giving them a step up in a world that wants to keep them tamped down. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026 Carr throws the event, Liberty shows up with bagpipers, but both ploys fall flat with Dina. — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ploys
  1. ruses
  2. sprees
  3. schemes
  4. devices
  5. tricks
Noun
  • Even before pro-party AI ruses were possible, the Chinese government and its supporters flooded social media with pro-China propaganda and vicious attacks on critics.
    — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
  • Such offenders will use all different ruses to distract the victim, such as claiming to be utility workers, tree trimmers, or handymen working on neighbors' houses.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of ruses
Noun
  • This spring, college hoops teams went on staggering spending sprees, with some individual players set to earn as much as entire teams did a season ago.
    — Brendan Marks, New York Times, 26 July 2026
  • The People’s Bank of China, for instance, has pushed for multi-month buying sprees, while the Reserve Bank of India has repatriated roughly 100 tonnes of gold back to domestic vaults.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 15 July 2026
Definition of sprees
Noun
  • As well as commercial programs operated by the likes of Bugcrowd, most of the big technology players also have their own schemes.
    — Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The new Philadelphia office will focus on healthcare-fraud schemes, particularly those targeting Medicaid home-care programs.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of schemes
Noun
  • Social media platforms like Instagram may also have security settings to review devices that have access to your account.
    — Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Unlike an Amazon Alexa smart speaker and other devices that wait for a command to activate, the ElliQ is designed to be proactive.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of devices
Noun
  • Abernathy Greenway Park walk with Trees Atlanta Take a walk through the park with a Trees Atlanta docent, who will teach simple tricks for telling trees apart and share stories about why trees are important and how to protect them.
    — Mary Caldwell, AJC.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • While there are many ways to preserve flowers, hydrangeas hold up best through drying, and according to florist Joanne Effinger, Garden Director at Bluepoint Hospitality in Easton, Maryland, there are a few tricks to get it right.
    — Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 31 July 2026
Definition of tricks

Browse Nearby Words

ploy
ploys
pluck
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Cite this Entry

“Ploys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ploys. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of ploys for Spanish Speakers

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