trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.
the tricks of the trade
ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.
the ruses of smugglers
stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.
the stratagem-filled game
maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.
last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy
artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention.
the clever artifices of the stage
wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.
used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself
feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.
a feint toward the enemy's left flank
Example Sentences
Noun It was a trick to persuade her to give him money. She enjoys playing tricks on her friends. For his last trick, the magician made a rabbit disappear. Verb He tricked her by wearing a disguise. you tricked me into thinking my ex wasn't coming to the party tonight Adjective a trick shot in pool He has a trick knee. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Cardinals should do their usual trick of flying out of the gate early and sputtering to the finish. Jason Gay, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 Its sincerest, grandest trick is in giving us a heroine who only seems to need to grow up more than everyone else. K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2022 For whatever reason, this new one is attracted to the scrubby valley where O.J. and Emerald dwell, concealing itself inside a motionless cloud or, for its next trick, scooting hither and thither through the sky. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 22 July 2022 Plug in lights and prepare to amaze your trick-or-treaters. Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 15 July 2022 Come cookout season, her hamburger buns are my back-pocket trick: suspiciously simple, and everyone freaks out about them. The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appétit, 8 July 2022 Some of these are healthier appetizers that use fruit and veggies for creepy results can even be used as non-candy treats for your trick-or-treaters! Lauren Matthews And Elizabeth Berry, Woman's Day, 21 June 2022 His trick to tackle the difficult task was kneading the material into petals and then freezing them. Antonia Debianchi, PEOPLE.com, 9 June 2022 Kelly Mariani, my friend and chef at Scribe, taught me her trick of also adding in avocado. Colu Henry, Vogue, 26 May 2022
Verb
Hanging a mirror on a wall or fence, or on the side of the house or shed, can trick the eye into thinking there’s more space. Nevin Martell, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 Or, gift it as-is for a fun pastime between handing out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween night. Kaitlin Madden, Good Housekeeping, 1 June 2022 Local businesses will be lined up along the road to pass out candy to trick-or-treaters in their vehicles during Trunk or Treat. Kimi Robinson, The Arizona Republic, 15 Oct. 2021 Favorite ways to celebrate include: handing out candy to trick-or-treaters (66%), decorating the house (52%), wearing costumes (46%), carving a pumpkin (44%), hosting or going to a party (25%). Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2021 That includes banning lookalike apps that try to trick people into downloading them, removing vaccine misinformation, and limiting full-screen ads in apps.Wired, 1 Aug. 2022 In a false-positive adversarial attack, the wrongdoer would try to trick the ML/DL into computationally calculating that a Stop sign exists even when there isn’t a Stop sign present. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 May 2022 But it was tacked onto an otherwise mostly blissfully silly movie, the way an enterprising parent might try to trick their children into eating vegetables by sneaking puréed carrots into mac and cheese. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 22 Dec. 2021 From the inane ploys to try and trick you — an Obamacare offer! Andy Meek, BGR, 7 July 2022
Adjective
If the high cost of it all is more trick than treat for you, here are several ways to turn your already smart home into a spook-tacularly genius haunted house. Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2021 And arguably, given the variety of cask types used by the distillery, Angel’s Envy is actually a multi-trick pony. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 June 2021 The ‘00s are cool again, right? (Trick question: They, like Britney, have always been cool.) Kara Nesvig, Allure, 23 June 2017 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English trikke, from Anglo-French *trik, from trikier to deceive, cheat, from Vulgar Latin *triccare, alteration of Latin tricari to behave evasively, shuffle, from tricae complications, trifles