masterminding

verb

present participle of mastermind
as in negotiating
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care he was charged with masterminding a plan to redecorate the suite of offices without seriously disrupting business operations

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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 masterminding However, off the field, the leadership style of the man tasked with masterminding a new era at Anfield is understated. — James Pearce, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 Davis was arrested in 2023 and indicted for masterminding the killing and providing the gun. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026 Russian war bloggers responded to Fedorov’s dismissal with glee, noting his role in masterminding long-range drone strikes on oil facilities that have caused a fuel crisis and midrange attacks that disrupted military logistics. — ABC News, 21 July 2026 After a series of personal setbacks, Ingrid moves to Los Angeles to be closer to Taylor, masterminding their meeting and worming her way into her inner circle. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026 The siblings have been there for one another since day one—and Austin’s even been instrumental in masterminding some of his sister’s biggest moments. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 2 July 2026 Last year, both Karen Read, acquitted of killing her Boston cop boyfriend in June, and Sherri Papini, who served time for masterminding her own 2016 kidnapping in California, participated in documentaries about their cases. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 18 June 2026 Johnson was convicted of capital murder on March 19, 2003, for masterminding the 1999 shooting. — Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026 Then revive ancient accusations of Jews masterminding a political conspiracy and engaging in ritual murder and dismemberment. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masterminding
  1. negotiating
  2. plotting
  3. arranging
  4. manipulating
Verb
  • Furthermore, relationships themselves teach basic psychological capacities such as regulating emotions, tolerating disappointment, and negotiating differences—skills which therapy is supposed to cultivate.
    — David H. Rosmarin, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Iran and Oman are negotiating a deal to temporarily open the strait.
    — Greg Myre, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of negotiating
Verb
  • Proper later allegedly admitted to plotting the UFC 250 attack and described it in full to the FBI, according to the criminal complaint.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • For now, Fearn seems less focused on plotting out a career and more interested in chasing whatever catches his attention next.
    — Wengel Gemu, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of plotting
Verb
  • Paltrow is also friendly with OpenAI’s vice president of global creative partnerships, Charles Porch, who the Times reports was central to arranging the dinner in his boss’ honor.
    — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Are practical barriers, such as transportation or arranging for care outside the facility, influencing the decision not to consider screening more than her own values or medical condition?
    — Kim Johnson, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of arranging
Verb
  • Last Wednesday, Meta reached a settlement with the attorneys general of forty-seven states, who had sued it for illegally manipulating the attention of children.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The experiment, therefore, suggests that empty space itself could become a new tool for manipulating quantum matter, much like other efforts to push the limits of superconducting materials.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of manipulating

Browse Nearby Words

masterminded
masterminding
masterminds
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Cite this Entry

“Masterminding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masterminding. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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