Thesaurus results for SCHEMES

schemes 1 of 2

noun

plural of scheme

as in ruses

a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end an e-mail scheme to trick unwary Internet users into disclosing passwords and financial information

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Relevance

as in plots

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

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as in plans

a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective a scheme to upgrade the city's mass transit system

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schemes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of scheme

as in intrigues

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

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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 schemes

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 The Department of Justice announced Thursday that 15 people have been charged, including six medical professionals, for allegedly being involved in healthcare fraud schemes that resulted in $2 billion of fraudulent claims. — Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 In many impersonation schemes, criminals pose as representatives of banks or government agencies and falsely warn that a consumer's money is in danger of being stolen. — Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026 There are 1,088 schemes or projects and more than 170,000 units in 2026. — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026 These schemes often drove the show’s humor, along with the awkward social dynamics Fielder engineered by acting oblivious to the norms of human behavior. — Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 Ornery, unwanted, and adrift, Capra found his schemes for movies running out of gas. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 What government officials have said is that the campuses will eventually draw water from the Polavaram Irrigation Project – one of India’s largest and costliest water schemes. — Aakash Hassan, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026

Verb

Marty, who was loosely based on real-life ping-pong legend Marty Reisman, schemes his way to competitions across the globe and hustles for pocket cash. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026 Joy Randolph, follows a desperate gallery owner (Portman) who schemes to sell a dead man as art at Art Basel in Miami. — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026 Chalamet embodies Marty’s arrant showmanship with an evident joy in performance, exactly as Marty himself schemes not only shamelessly but jubilantly. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025 Matthew quickly schemes his way into Oliver’s orbit after that first performance, impressing and rankling the group of lackeys in his entourage at the same time. — Eric Torres, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for schemes

Noun

There’s a delightful secret history of Hollywood directors whose ruses and stratagems bought them an unusual amount of leeway with their scripts.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
Even before pro-party AI ruses were possible, the Chinese government and its supporters flooded social media with pro-China propaganda and vicious attacks on critics.

— Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

Definition of ruses

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

Definition of plots

Noun

Luigi Carbone, Pope Leo XIV's physician, said the pontiff's recovery from lung cancer surgery won't stop plans for a visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru involving a dozen flights and two helicopter rides to high altitudes.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
The company behind Claude AI announced plans to commit 5% of its shares to a new Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, subject to stockholder approval.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of plans

Noun

For the tinkering types, Meta also released open weights for Muse’s code to help people connect it to a range of other devices.

— Marty Swant, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Chinese clinical tools, medical devices, and enabling technologies are likely to become increasingly central, as well.

— Ruby Wang, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of devices

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

Eighty-six percent of family-office principals and senior executives are including crypto in their investment strategies.

— Angelica Ang, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
The contest offers a glimpse into a purple region at a time when both parties are testing strategies for winning voter loyalty — not just in the midterms but looking ahead to 2028.

— Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of strategies

Noun

At home in Makhaza township, about 40 minutes from the college, Lubelo spends his free time watching magic shows online and practicing tricks on his brothers and parents.

— Julie Bourdin, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
The practical special effects seem to be on the booer’s side, leaning on stagy but charming in-camera tricks that have gone out of style, like switching actors between close-ups.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of tricks

Noun

As video game movies keep getting better (or at least more popular), a few blueprints have emerged for adapting material that used to consistently stump Hollywood.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
Holtec has coordinated engineering hubs across several countries to finalize the technical blueprints.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of blueprints

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schemers

schemes

schemes (out)

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Style

“Schemes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/schemes. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of schemes

noun

verb

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