stringing along

verb

present participle of string along
as in deceiving
to cause to believe what is untrue the student succeeded in stringing even his teachers along with his tales of family hardships

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 stringing along Sure enough, Dick took off with the other packhorses stringing along behind him. — Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stringing along
  1. deceiving
  2. tricking
  3. fooling
  4. sucking in
  5. having on
  6. taking in
  7. faking out
  8. kidding
Verb
  • But looks are deceiving in this case – just like the 3X Plus and 3X before it, the trailer stretches out via three individual telescopic segments that emerge at the push of a button.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Facebook’s lawyers argued that the state failed to prove whether people were actually harmed by these deceiving statements.
    — Mikella Schuettler, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceiving
Verb
  • The top-performing red teamer on the original Arena was a lawyer from Melbourne who just happened to be good at tricking models into jumping their guardrails.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • RatHat relies heavily on tricking someone into installing a malicious Android app and approving powerful permissions.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of tricking
Verb
  • In the highlight, Marshall retrieves the ball and oddly fires it back to the infield, fooling no one.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Anybody hoping that a Netanyahu defeat in October and the emergence of a less controversial successor will reset the table is likely fooling themselves.
    — Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of fooling
Verb
  • One high-energy neutrino came from a blazar – a supermassive black hole sucking in matter from its host galaxy and spewing some of it into a jet thousands of light-years long and pointed straight at Earth.
    — Tyce DeYoung, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Grow up and start worrying more about not sucking in Yankee Stadium.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of sucking in
Verb
  • Yet despite some positive results, both economists and on-the-ground workers are calling attention to the negative impact AI is already having on the labor market.
    — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The conversations that high-level leaders are having on a daily basis are less about tasks and execution and more about the capacity of their workforce.
    — Laura Weldy, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Definition of having on
Verb
  • Dressed in a sharp black three-piece suit and a dapper yellow bow tie, Lubelo Mthenjana stands alone on a dark stage, taking in the last few seconds of quiet before the curtain opens.
    — Julie Bourdin, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Insulin is a hormone that promotes cells taking in sugar to use for energy.
    — Brittany Poulson, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of taking in
Verb
  • In the 80th minute, Denkey received an assist from Ender Echenique, faking out goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos before finishing with his left foot between a pair of defenders.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026
  • Among the highlights was Dart taking off in the first quarter, faking out several Eagles defenders, and running to the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown.
    — Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Definition of faking out
Verb
  • But kidding aside, AI used in the right way can make people smarter about their health, more so than most realize.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But Guthrie wasn’t kidding, slipping into a yellow gingham dress before joining her co-hosts on the Today Show Plaza to greet visitors.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Definition of kidding

Browse Nearby Words

stringing
stringing along
strings
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Cite this Entry

“Stringing along.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stringing%20along. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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