Thesaurus results for SCHEMES

schemes 1 of 2

noun

plural of scheme

as in ruses

a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end an e-mail scheme to trick unwary Internet users into disclosing passwords and financial information

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as in plots

a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends a scheme to kidnap the president's daughter

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as in plans

a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective a scheme to upgrade the city's mass transit system

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schemes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of scheme

as in intrigues

to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends the town inspector had schemed to overlook the contractor's code violations in exchange for a substantial bribe

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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 schemes

Noun

Along the way, there are before-and-after floor plans, garden schemes, and a recipe for Meyers Family Hot Fudge. — Ingrid Abramovitch, Architectural Digest, 25 Aug. 2026 Their protection schemes might expect edge rushers, but both Van Ginkel and Turner could drift backward, making the interior more susceptible. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 The Schmittian focus on stability and coexistence resonates with the New Right’s opposition to forever wars and rejection of universalist schemes. — Leonard A. Schuette, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026 The crafty wolf often relies on gaudy disguises to accomplish his schemes. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2026 Their schemes are foiled when real feelings enter the picture. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026 One of the more elaborate assassination-for-hire schemes unfolded in 2024, when the regime allegedly tried to target an Iranian dissident who was living in Haarlem, in the Netherlands. — Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026 It's also given rise to smuggling schemes to bring AI hardware into China, prompting international investigations and the arrests of many high-profile employees at companies such as Super Micro and Nvidia. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026 Derwick ultimately came under scrutiny by investigators in Venezuela, the US and Spain who suspected ties to money laundering schemes involving PDVSA funds. — Fabiola Zerpa, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026

Verb

Marty, who was loosely based on real-life ping-pong legend Marty Reisman, schemes his way to competitions across the globe and hustles for pocket cash. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026 Joy Randolph, follows a desperate gallery owner (Portman) who schemes to sell a dead man as art at Art Basel in Miami. — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026 Chalamet embodies Marty’s arrant showmanship with an evident joy in performance, exactly as Marty himself schemes not only shamelessly but jubilantly. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025 Matthew quickly schemes his way into Oliver’s orbit after that first performance, impressing and rankling the group of lackeys in his entourage at the same time. — Eric Torres, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for schemes

Noun

There’s a delightful secret history of Hollywood directors whose ruses and stratagems bought them an unusual amount of leeway with their scripts.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of ruses

Noun

King said when individuals were buried on top of one another, the cemetery’s management removed the tombstones and resold the plots.

— Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Aug. 2026
The dissident, Siamak Tadayon Tahmasbi, had been accused by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence of directing terrorist plots tied to Israeli intelligence.

— Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of plots

Noun

In December, Australia became the first country to ban social media for kids under 16, and countries including Brazil, Canada, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Indonesia have since enacted or approved similar plans.

— Rachel Hale, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Several Kansas City community leaders are calling for residents to have a meaningful role in selecting the city’s next police chief, weeks after Stacey Graves announced plans to retire next year.

— Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of plans

Noun

Instead, Cramer pointed to Cook's ability to sustain the iPhone's appeal and keep consumers coming back through successive generations of premium devices.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
Infecting already compromised devices Research published Monday brings the threat into much clearer view.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of devices

Noun

But like many aspects of 21st-century American life, the vaccines became a partisan point of debate as often false anti-vaccine conspiracies spread to millions of people.

— Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
The result is a sprawling theory combining paranoid interpretations of current events with historical conspiracies.

— Matthew N. Hannah, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of conspiracies

Noun

Roughly 30% of the ballots cast in the 2024 general election were submitted by mail, and Democrats have increasingly pursued vote-by-mail strategies, in contrast with Republicans.

— Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
The program for children at risk of violence provided mentorship, summer camps, job training, and nonpolice strategies such as neighborhood beautification projects and community center programs.

— Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of strategies

Noun

Cirque du Soleil’s otherworldly adventure, combining high-flying tricks and underwater artistry, has been reimagined in Shared Reality.

— Mary Caldwell, AJC.com, 25 Aug. 2026
For account takeover, though, getting rid of the six-digit code could take away one of the easiest tricks in a scammer's playbook.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of tricks

Noun

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is handing Ukraine the blueprints to a valuable piece of his country’s military technology, thumbing his nose at a Kremlin that says the United Kingdom is now a party in the conflict.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026
Forward-looking brands and retailers are drawing up blueprints for the next demographic frontier — the tiniest tots born between 2025 and 2039.

— Faye Brookman, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of blueprints

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schemes (out)

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Style

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

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Synonyms of schemes

noun

verb

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