Thesaurus results for PLOTS

plots 1 of 2

noun

plural of plot

as in schemes

a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends the Secret Service uncovered just in time a plot to assassinate the President

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as in fields

a small area of usually open land grew vegetables in a little plot

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as in properties

a small piece of land that is developed or available for development subdivided the old farm into plots for tract houses

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as in stories

the unfolding of events in a dramatic or literary work wrote novels in which the plot was always subordinate to the characterizations

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plots

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of plot

as in plans

to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends mobsters were caught plotting to take over the company

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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 plots

Noun

Beneath the spy plots, then, is a fond portrait of a group of people held in perpetual disgrace for their shortcomings, and thus forced to find individual paths to redemption. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026 Montanez noted that the case appears to be unusual because mass shooting plots are most often conceived and carried out by male suspects. — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Grave plots are first-come, first-served, and since death is unpredictable, graves cannot be reserved in advance. — Mimi Hanaoka, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026 Yet the two plots remain separate and contemptuous of each other, with no denouement in sight. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026 But films need familiar plots, so the protagonists—all men—go searching for connection. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 There’s no winking at the audience, no sense of camp or parody, just a lot of appealing interactions, plus some wholly superfluous tertiary plots added to expand the story to series length. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026 Another section describes the government’s response to protests in 2014, when the government says Maduro discussed kidnapping military officers suspected of disloyalty and using torture to force them to reveal information about potential plots. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026 And during the 2024-2025 growing season, BCI Program partners established at least 19,900 demonstration plots and supported 11,000 bio-input or bio-control centers to give farmers access to synthetic pesticide and fertilizer alternatives. — Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026

Verb

The contract's odds will be resolved and verified by Data Center Map, which plots out planned and running data centers on its website. — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026 Arada is also buying three Yas Island plots in its first move into Abu Dhabi. — semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Continue reading … 'PROJECT GRAND SLAM' — Iconic restaurant chain plots massive makeover with 500 upgrades. — FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026 Moving forward, Le Silla has no immediate plans to open more stores, but Paris and London are top of mind as the brand plots its long-term international growth strategy. — Katie Abel, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026 The software then anonymizes the entry to protect privacy, and plots a circle in the general area. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 6 Sep. 2026 This chart from Henry Allen at Deutsche Bank plots the rate of inflation at the beginning of each historical period when the Fed began raising rates, against the number of basis points in that rate-raising cycle. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026 Despite his rakish lifestyle, Don Juan falls in love with innocent Adriana, infuriating the envious Lucrezia Borgia (Estelle Taylor), who plots to ruin the young lovers’ nascent romance. — Air Mail, 8 Aug. 2026 Plus, the Office of Science and Technology Policy plots a venture capital-like model for the scientific grant process. — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 23 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plots

Noun

The prevalence of money laundering schemes is an indication to Hall that more regulations are needed to address retail theft.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Bill Essayli traded barbs at dueling healthcare fraud news conferences in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday morning, sniping at each other over billions lost to benefits schemes and the increasingly politicized efforts to stop them.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of schemes

Noun

Users can create forms or complete existing ones using text fields, checkboxes, and other elements.

— StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
As Reclamation District 108 leaves some fields dry, the goal will be to move a levee back so the river can spread out, restoring a natural floodplain, Bair said.

— Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of fields

Noun

Instead of relying primarily on inorganic compounds, scientists can investigate how molecular geometry and stronger electronic interactions create useful quantum properties.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Smaller-scale landlords tend to be more flexible with tenants on issues such as late rent, data show, so the city should award grants or subsidies to help those landlords keep their properties habitable, Khanmalek said.

— Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of properties

Noun

In the 2021 Senate runoff elections in Georgia, this writer did a number of stories following forecasts by Thomas Miller, a prominent data scientist who’s a professor at Northwestern University.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Yet neither of these stories fits the timing or scale of the decline.

— J. Travis Donahoe, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of stories

Noun

Local elections officials would also have to verify voters’ citizenship using government data and publish reports, which critics say bolsters conspiracies about voter integrity and undermines confidence in elections.

— Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
What always entertains me so much about those types of conspiracies is that reality is just as crazy.

— Nilay Patel, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of conspiracies

Noun

Settlers bypassed local tribal bands and elevated a single Montaukett sachem to sign away vast tracts of land.

— Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
Toxic haze has covered parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Borneo and Sumatra, with the smoke drifting across the region.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of tracts

Noun

Three outside law professors who reviewed the materials at the request of The Post said West Point's actions appear to violate the order issued by Judge Cathy Seibel in September that ended a lawsuit filed by a civilian professor at the academy.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Behind the scenes, Muse uses a collection of digital notes and instructions to guide its personality, actions and memory, all of which can be reviewed, edited and deleted.

— Marty Swant, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of actions

Noun

The column warns that the disputes could extend beyond the election, potentially providing grounds to challenge results or undermine their legitimacy.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
The park is just part of a 247-acre property, owned by Ada County, that also hosts the Western Idaho Fair grounds and the Boise Hawks baseball stadium.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of grounds

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plot

plots

plotted

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Style

“Plots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plots. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of plots

noun

verb

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