1
as in ruse
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
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2
as in spree
a time or instance of carefree fun
wanted one grand ploy through Europe before settling down and raising a family
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Recent Examples of ploy
The outline of the plan outraged conservatives who labeled it as a ploy to enable trans inclusion in women's sports.
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Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2024
But if her recent stunts have read like a cheap ploy to ingratiate herself to our virulently anti-trans incoming president, cabinet, and staff, the rapid escalation of her own anti-trans rhetoric certainly lends to that theory.
—Abby Monteil, Them, 26 Nov. 2024
Both brothers said during the trial that Smollett hired them to stage an attack as a ploy for public attention, noting a $3,500 check Smollett paid them.
—Doha Madani, NBC News, 21 Nov. 2024
Some critics have dismissed the move as a calculated ploy to secure African-American votes amid concerns that up to one in four Black men under the age of 50 might support former President Donald Trump.
—Ben Zdencanovic, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ploy 
Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2024
But if her recent stunts have read like a cheap ploy to ingratiate herself to our virulently anti-trans incoming president, cabinet, and staff, the rapid escalation of her own anti-trans rhetoric certainly lends to that theory.
—Abby Monteil, Them, 26 Nov. 2024
Both brothers said during the trial that Smollett hired them to stage an attack as a ploy for public attention, noting a $3,500 check Smollett paid them.
—Doha Madani, NBC News, 21 Nov. 2024
Some critics have dismissed the move as a calculated ploy to secure African-American votes amid concerns that up to one in four Black men under the age of 50 might support former President Donald Trump.
—Ben Zdencanovic, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ploy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ploy
Noun
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Sunday outsmarted Adam and Hannah with a ruse at Tribal Council.Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
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That was a ruse for Litton, who does not have a grandson, to get onto campus, Honea said.Phil Helsel, NBC News, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Management is getting more stressful Many companies have undergone rapid transformations since 2020, including dealing with mass turnover and hiring sprees, adjusting to remote and hybrid work, restructuring teams, adding responsibilities to jobs and facing budget cuts.Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2024
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One-third of CPS schools are more than half empty yet the CPS board — a vassal of CTU — has increased salaries and benefits by nearly 50% since 2019, going on a 9,000-staffer hiring spree even as 37,000 more students left the system.Forrest Claypool, Chicago Tribune, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Ryan Harris, 36, of New Orleans, was among eight people and two law firms that have been charged in what federal prosecutors say was a yearslong scheme of crashing vehicles into tractor-trailers, fleeing while passengers in those vehicles pretended to be the drivers and lying about what happened.Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports, arkansasonline.com, 14 Dec. 2024
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Pacifica came out on its first possession and used a no-huddle, up-tempo scheme to drive 72 yards for a 7-0 lead on Royster’s seven-yard touchdown run.Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The gods prove cruel but not omnipotent, and the modern settings exert their own redemptive pull; the final effect is that of a magic trick, in which the characters manage, in each film’s miraculous closing moments, to slip the bonds of tragedy.Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2024
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As for the pineapple addition to the drink, eating the fruit is another common, nonmedical trick that people suggest for getting labor started (some people also swear by it when trying to conceive).Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 18 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Ploy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ploy. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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