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
After Sam’s ruse is exposed during lunch with Diane and Reed, Diane’s is as well.
—
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 21 May 2025
Barriers lifted in advance, Mellor and his French Resistance passengers hurtled through at 80mph leaving guards little chance of spotting the night-time ruse.
—Iain MacAuley, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for ruse
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 21 May 2025
Barriers lifted in advance, Mellor and his French Resistance passengers hurtled through at 80mph leaving guards little chance of spotting the night-time ruse.
—Iain MacAuley, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
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
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
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Last summer, an exponentially growing audience of fans watched her fall head-over-heels for Brit Aaron Evans, only to be left heartbroken over his deception and sobbing to an entirely too appropriate Sabrina Carpenter song chosen by the show's editors.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
19 July 2025
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Finding The Right Balance The cost of workplace deception is more than just a nasty surprise come employee feedback day.—
Dmitry Malin,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
Noun
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The universe is playing tricks on you this week, Scorpio, especially in relation to career matters, your public persona or situations involving authority.—
Kyle Thomas,
People.com,
13 July 2025
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Kawasaki has stayed true to its past with stand-up models such as the SX-R 160, and upcoming SX-X 160, which allow riders to do tricks or carve tight turns on these small, powerful craft.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
11 July 2025
Noun
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An especially Jewish theme in the seventeenth century was not only the necessity but the dignity of subterfuge; to have lived in the shadows of another people’s empire had a nobility of its own, captured in this exquisite and ambivalent image.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
19 July 2025
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People generally might not realize the subterfuge at play.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
8 July 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 30 Jul. 2025.
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