Thesaurus results for PLOTS

plots 1 of 2

noun

plural of plot

as in schemes

a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends the Secret Service uncovered just in time a plot to assassinate the President

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Relevance

as in fields

a small area of usually open land grew vegetables in a little plot

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as in properties

a small piece of land that is developed or available for development subdivided the old farm into plots for tract houses

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as in stories

the unfolding of events in a dramatic or literary work wrote novels in which the plot was always subordinate to the characterizations

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plots

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of plot

as in plans

to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends mobsters were caught plotting to take over the company

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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 plots

Noun

There’s no winking at the audience, no sense of camp or parody, just a lot of appealing interactions, plus some wholly superfluous tertiary plots added to expand the story to series length. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026 Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues—one set at the dawn of the MAGA era. — Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026 Another section describes the government’s response to protests in 2014, when the government says Maduro discussed kidnapping military officers suspected of disloyalty and using torture to force them to reveal information about potential plots. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026 Mungiu may have a less sadistic streak and a more active camera, but the two filmmakers share a particular commitment to narrative indeterminacy, devising intricate yet incomplete crime-story plots that function broadly as sociopolitical allegories. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026 And during the 2024-2025 growing season, BCI Program partners established at least 19,900 demonstration plots and supported 11,000 bio-input or bio-control centers to give farmers access to synthetic pesticide and fertilizer alternatives. — Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026 Political advertising warns about Democratic plots to defund the police. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 Early spaghetti model plots bring the storm into the Gulf Coast region between Friday and Sunday morning. — Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Since Guadagnino’s first feature in 1999, The Protagonists, a mockumentary starring Tilda Swinton as a filmmaker re-creating a real-life murder in London, his work has encompassed a variety of plots, tones, and textures. — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Verb

The contract's odds will be resolved and verified by Data Center Map, which plots out planned and running data centers on its website. — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026 Arada is also buying three Yas Island plots in its first move into Abu Dhabi. — semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Continue reading … 'PROJECT GRAND SLAM' — Iconic restaurant chain plots massive makeover with 500 upgrades. — FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026 Moving forward, Le Silla has no immediate plans to open more stores, but Paris and London are top of mind as the brand plots its long-term international growth strategy. — Katie Abel, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026 The software then anonymizes the entry to protect privacy, and plots a circle in the general area. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 6 Sep. 2026 This chart from Henry Allen at Deutsche Bank plots the rate of inflation at the beginning of each historical period when the Fed began raising rates, against the number of basis points in that rate-raising cycle. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026 Despite his rakish lifestyle, Don Juan falls in love with innocent Adriana, infuriating the envious Lucrezia Borgia (Estelle Taylor), who plots to ruin the young lovers’ nascent romance. — Air Mail, 8 Aug. 2026 Plus, the Office of Science and Technology Policy plots a venture capital-like model for the scientific grant process. — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 23 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plots

Noun

Spoelstra finished tied with Houston’s Ime Udoka with the second-most votes (10%) as the head coach who has the best defensive schemes.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
While both players moved around sometimes in their respective schemes, Shipp and Glasker do most of their damage as outside receivers.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of schemes

Noun

Gomelsky told investigators there was no reason Wang would need the victim’s research notes because their fields of study at the university were unrelated, the affidavit said.

— Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
The schedule also introduces Banana Ball 360, a Notre Dame Stadium event with games alternating between two fields.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of fields

Noun

This is exactly what complicates the production of alloys with predictable mechanical properties.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Burgasser added that the study’s categorization scheme using temperatures and atmospheric properties can be useful for the field moving forward.

— Jack Guy, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of properties

Noun

What always entertains me so much about those types of conspiracies is that reality is just as crazy.

— Nilay Patel, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026
But in recent years, Brand has publicly pivoted to an influencer and podcaster focused on spirituality and heavily leaning toward anti-government conspiracies.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of conspiracies

Noun

Tech companies are eager for vast tracts to build data centers that can be as large as 70 football fields, and Townsite could set a precedent for similar projects on federal property with more than a dozen others in the planning stages.

— Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
That makes the remaining relatively intact tracts especially important to preserve, according to conservation groups, particularly in a state like Illinois that has lost much of its native forests.

— Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of tracts

Noun

The Justice Department has historically sought to avoid public investigative actions involving a candidate within 60 days of a primary or general election.

— ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
And while the challenges of the job don’t excuse the criminal actions, researchers and legal experts said, those experiences can often contribute to their behavioral issues.

— Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of actions

Noun

Just like their first Beverly Hills abode, the home was complete with resort-like grounds.

— Juliana Ukiomogbe, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026
In contrast, peregrine falcons that breed in Alaska migrate almost directly south, dispersing across the Americas to wintering grounds that extend as far as southern South America.

— Amy L. Scarpignato, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of grounds

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plot

plots

plotted

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“Plots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plots. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of plots

noun

verb

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