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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of ploy
The characters are enlisted by Jason Lee’s Brodie and Jeremy London’s T.S. to sabotage a local game show that’s filming at the mall in a ploy to win back their ex-girlfriends (Shannen Doherty and Claire Forlani).
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John Russell, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024
Jason Segel's ploy to help Brett Goldstein to shed his Ted Lasso character was born out of first-hand experience.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
These non-actresses utilize attack-first ploys (even when asking questions), with the objective of scoring points or goals.
—Armond White, National Review, 20 Sep. 2024
The public is likely going to perceive the use of generative AI as a clever ploy, but the novelty is going to be overshadowed by whether the AI is suitably fair and balanced.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ploy 
John Russell, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024
Jason Segel's ploy to help Brett Goldstein to shed his Ted Lasso character was born out of first-hand experience.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
These non-actresses utilize attack-first ploys (even when asking questions), with the objective of scoring points or goals.
—Armond White, National Review, 20 Sep. 2024
The public is likely going to perceive the use of generative AI as a clever ploy, but the novelty is going to be overshadowed by whether the AI is suitably fair and balanced.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ploy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ploy
Noun
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Agatha had put Ralph under a spell, forcing him to play Wanda’s brother Pietro in her ruse to steal Wanda’s dark magic.Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 19 Oct. 2024
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Speaking of which, does anyone understand why some elaborate ruse had to be pulled to get Andy’s SOID cube back?Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Related Articles From California to the Bahamas, a young man went on a deadly crime spree with his domineering mother.Teri Figueroa, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
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However, authorities said the two brothers’ motive was greed, citing the lavish spending spree — which involved expensive watches, cars, and tennis lessons — the two brothers went on after the slayings.Christine Pelisek, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Pietro La Greca Jr’s memoir Pesos: The Rise and Fall of a Border Family tells the story of an Italian immigrant and con man who ran Mexico’s biggest money laundering scheme during the worst economic period in the country’s history.Peter White, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2024
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In the 2000s, federal agents deduced that the company was a mere front for a complex money laundering scheme.Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 18 Nov. 2024
Noun
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There are all of these very special tricks, flourishes, and touches, which are unique to them.Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 21 Nov. 2024
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The trick was exploiting a Google invention called transformers to create astoundingly capable language models.Steven Levy, WIRED, 21 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near ploy
Cite this Entry
“Ploy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ploy. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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