as in prank
an act that is used to fool someone
His act was just a clever ruse to get me to go out with him.
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Recent Examples of ruse
The ruse, Smith suggested in her memoir, was employed successfully on at least one occasion.
—
Laurie Gwen Shapiro, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
Is this a theatrical ruse or a murder plot in process?
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2025
The police investigation that followed included surveillance and a ruse where investigators answered local prostitution ads and were directed to the home.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 June 2025
But this ruse is like the broader trans movement itself, which obliges you to deny the evidence dangling before your own eyes.
—The Editors, National Review, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruse
Laurie Gwen Shapiro, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
Is this a theatrical ruse or a murder plot in process?
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2025
The police investigation that followed included surveillance and a ruse where investigators answered local prostitution ads and were directed to the home.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 June 2025
But this ruse is like the broader trans movement itself, which obliges you to deny the evidence dangling before your own eyes.
—The Editors, National Review, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruse
Noun
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The marijuana photos that appeared this weekend when people googled Taylor Police Department were likely a prank that, for a moment, had some in the community snickering, including the deputy chief.—
Frank Witsil,
Freep.com,
14 July 2025
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What starts as a simple favor to keep her great-niece turns into a wild Halloween night filled with jump scares and pranks — but as usual, nothing frightens her more than bad manners and disrespect. Boo 2!—
Jane LaCroix,
People.com,
13 July 2025
Noun
-
This deception couldn’t come at a worse time for America’s debt.—
Thomas Kahn,
Chicago Tribune,
8 July 2025
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Unlike earlier studies that uncovered evasion or deception, this research exposed a more alarming phenomenon: models calculating that unethical behavior was a justifiable strategy for survival.—
Hamilton Mann,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Noun
-
Did any of those tips and tricks come in handy here?—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
5 July 2025
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Truth is, finding universal tips and tricks for keeping your cortisol levels stable first thing in the morning and when leaving the house is tough.—
Ana Morales,
Vogue,
5 July 2025
Noun
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The facility had been subject to sabotage and subterfuge by Israel for many years even before these attacks–including a computer virus that wrecked the centrifuges over a decade ago.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
26 June 2025
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When the magazine writer Dylan (Daryl Wein) and his girlfriend and photographer, Lucy (Abigail Cowen), descend upon the rocker Milo (Jack Farthing), there’s subterfuge afoot.—
Lisa Kennedy,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Noun
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For people like Soriano, however, the elections are about more than political stratagem and determining which family holds the most nominal power.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
13 May 2025
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The scene is straight out of a stratagem by Pier Paolo Pasolini (Bertolucci’s mentor), but Palud takes it literally without applying comparable ideological critique to the rest of her film.—
Armond White,
National Review,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruse. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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