1
2
a
: a tactic intended to embarrass or frustrate an opponent
b
: a devised or contrived move : stratagem
a ploy to get her to open the doorRobert B. Parker

Examples of ploy in a Sentence

Her story about being sick is only a ploy to get you to give her money. asking me to take her shopping turned out to be a ploy to get me to the surprise party
Recent Examples on the Web The New York Times speculated Thursday that Trump’s August trial date request in the documents case could be a ploy to ensure the federal election case—which polling suggests could prove damaging to Trump with voters if he’s convicted—won’t go to trial until after November. Alison Durkee, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Keoghan and Elordi, however, have been essentially fawning over each other on social media for weeks — a wise, enticing move for the TikTok generation, but as a ploy to rope in older Oscar voters, that kind of plan might not do the trick. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 1 Dec. 2023 At the time, Porter denounced the effort as a political ploy. Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2024 On campaign trail, Trump mixes prosecutions with politics At the campaign stop in Atkinson, Trump ridiculed the criminal cases as a political ploy. Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024 The game is now so pervasive that the ploy is easier to spot. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 23 Dec. 2023 Impeaching an unpopular cabinet official of a president with dangerously low approval ratings was a cynical ploy for social-media clicks and TV appearances. Ken Buck, National Review, 14 Feb. 2024 There were other instances of people getting these calls in the area, police said, adding that another man reported getting a similar phone call but didn’t fall for the ploy. Julia Daye, Miami Herald, 12 Feb. 2024 Today’s Talker: Even Trump voters aren’t buying... Patrick Smith / Getty Images … the right-wing conspiracy theory about Taylor Swift, which purports that the pop star’s relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce is an artificial ploy meant to help Democrats in the 2024 election. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ploy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably from employ

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ploy was in 1697

Dictionary Entries Near ploy

Cite this Entry

“Ploy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ploy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ploy

noun
: a trick designed to embarrass or upset an opponent

More from Merriam-Webster on ploy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!