scheme 1 of 2

noun

ˈskēm How to pronounce scheme (audio)
Definition of schemenext
1
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end an e-mail scheme to trick unwary Internet users into disclosing passwords and financial information

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in conspiracy
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends a scheme to kidnap the president's daughter

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in plan
a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective a scheme to upgrade the city's mass transit system

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scheme

2 of 2

verb

as in to plot
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun scheme contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of scheme are design, plan, plot, and project. While all these words mean "a method devised for making or doing something or achieving an end," scheme stresses calculation of the end in view and may apply to a plan motivated by craftiness and self-interest.

a scheme to defraud the government

When would design be a good substitute for scheme?

While the synonyms design and scheme are close in meaning, design often suggests a particular pattern and some degree of achieved order or harmony.

a design for a new dress

When is it sensible to use plan instead of scheme?

In some situations, the words plan and scheme are roughly equivalent. However, plan always implies mental formulation and sometimes graphic representation.

plans for a house

When is plot a more appropriate choice than scheme?

The synonyms plot and scheme are sometimes interchangeable, but plot implies a laying out in clearly distinguished sections with attention to their relations and proportions.

the plot of the play

In what contexts can project take the place of scheme?

Although the words project and scheme have much in common, project often stresses imaginative scope and vision.

a project to develop the waterfront

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 scheme
Noun
Ornery, unwanted, and adrift, Capra found his schemes for movies running out of gas. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 The HomeView’s control scheme looks simpler and more elegant, with different pages neatly arranged for various feature sets. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
Offenses clearly try to scheme them up to get matchups against them. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2026 Retaliation is not unheard of in higher education and fear of scheming colleagues is common. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scheme
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scheme
  1. ruse
  2. conspiracy
  3. plan
  4. plot
  5. trick
  6. strategy
  7. device
  8. blueprint
Noun
  • What about when Carole was hiding in the closet to try to overhear Luann calling her a pedophile, and Jules Wainstein kept trying to ruin her ruse?
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Last-ditch plan for prosecution Authorities next developed what Smallwood described as a last-ditch plan to prosecute Tanzer — a ruse that could catch him lying about the rape.
    — Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruse
Noun
  • In 2018, Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud and conspiracy, and the Department of Justice sold the record to help pay his reparations.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Rodriguez Melendez also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of conspiracy
Noun
  • The plan is to find candidates from families that renounced their royal status in 1947, which at the time was to ease the postwar financial burden on the monarchy.
    — Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Swift's childhood was tailor-made for a Hallmark movie—but the future pop star already had other plans.
    — Ilaria Perrotta, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of plan
Verb
  • The distinction matters because operating an unmanned vessel requires more than plotting a route.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
  • In the years to come, plotting out the dense and often convoluted storylines on a giant dry-erase board would become a staple of the Seinfeld writing process.
    — Blake J. Harris, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of plot
Noun
  • Today, our constructor has reached into his evidently limitless bag of tricks to pull out a doozy of a Thursday grid.
    — Sean McGowan, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The subtle, but unmistakable, undercurrent of apple sweetness struck me as a bit of a magic trick in a bread that, otherwise, to the eye and hand was just a soft white loaf.
    — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of trick
Noun
  • The agreement came after the EU unveiled a new Arctic strategy aimed at countering growing Russian and Chinese influence in the region.
    — Lee Ying Shan,Matthew Tan, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Its faster trial infrastructure, its more integrated translational pathways, and its willingness to link industrial strategy to health delivery hold lessons for governments around the world.
    — Ruby Wang, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of strategy
Noun
  • Printing these flexible devices requires depositing two layers at once.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Those links could expose personal information or compromise devices.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of device
Noun
  • Her approach often embraces the ancient process of using botanical forms and organic plants as the blueprint for new design.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
  • With the nation’s electricity demand skyrocketing, SunZia’s collaboration with conservationists may offer a blueprint for getting more megaprojects built.
    — Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of blueprint

Phrases Containing scheme

Browse Nearby Words

schematizing
scheme
schemed
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Cite this Entry

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on scheme

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about scheme

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