stratagem
noun
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A stratagem is any clever scheme—sometimes one that's part of an overall strategy (i.e., a carefully worked out plan of action). The word stratagem entered English in the 15th century and was originally used in reference to some artifice, such as a military plan or maneuver, which was designed to deceive or outwit the enemy. This military sense can be traced back to the word's Greek ancestor stratēgēma, which is itself based on stratēgein, meaning "to act as a general." Stratēgein, in turn, comes from stratēgos (meaning "general"), which comes from stratos ("camp" or "army") and agein ("to lead"). Stratēgos is an ancestor of strategy as well.
Synonyms
Examples of stratagem in a Sentence
Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 23 Sep. 2024
Among the stratagems employed by PBMs to boost profits, the FTC says, is steering health plans and patients to their own affiliated pharmacy chains.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2024
Hindenburg, in his mid-eighties and growing weak, became fed up with Schleicher’s Machiavellian stratagems and dispensed with him as Chancellor.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
Sociology is simply a bullet point in political stratagems seeking to dismantle American institutions from the inside out.
—Carol J. Petty, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Stratagem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stratagem. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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stratagem
noun
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