ploy

[ ploi ]

noun

1. a maneuver or stratagem, as in conversation, to gain the advantage.

   Synonyms: gambit, wile, subterfuge, ruse, tactic

verb (used with object)

1. Military Archaic. to move (troops) from a line into a column. Compare deploy.

verb (used without object)

1. Military Archaic. to move from a line into a column.

ploy

/ plɔɪ /

noun

1. a manoeuvre or tactic in a game, conversation, etc; stratagem; gambit
2. any business, job, hobby, etc, with which one is occupied

   angling is his latest ploy

3. a frolic, escapade, or practical joke

Other Words From

• counter·ploy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ploy¹

1475–85; earlier ploye to bend < Middle French ployer ( French plier ) < Latin plicāre to fold, ply ²; deploy

Word History and Origins

Origin of ploy¹

C18: originally Scot and northern English, perhaps from obsolete n sense of employ meaning an occupation

Example Sentences

The ploy worked—he promptly was named the king’s astronomer and received a royal stipend—but his colleagues outside of England objected.

From Nautilus

Some brands like puzzle company Blue Kazoo have leaned into the platform as a customer feedback ploy, combing through comments for notes on product improvements and more.

From Digiday

Perhaps what bothers some people so much about the Kardashians is that their ploys for stardom worked so well.

From The Daily Beast

Musk’s presence, and the sketches that followed, were part of a cynical ploy to boost the show’s pop culture capital within an entertainment landscape that has largely passed it by.

From Quartz

This is easily dismissed as a cynical marketing ploy, so you’ll need to follow through on your promise.

From Search Engine Watch

Is this just a ploy by the Islamic State—or the beginning of the road to retaking Mosul?

From The Daily Beast

The head of the prison says Figueroa fabricated the story as a ploy to get the Dutchman transferred.

From The Daily Beast

Do they really not look around them when they hit the shutter, or is it all part of a ploy to attract more attention?

From The Daily Beast

But when it becomes a transparent ploy for fame it drives fans away.

From The Daily Beast

That brassy ploy had caught the Costa Ricans entirely off-guard and had knocked them off their stride.

From The Daily Beast

And so destroy our only defences; it is, indeed, a wise ploy!

From Project Gutenberg

I give you the old word, Elrigmore: 'Claymore and the Gael '; for the rest—pardon me—you gentlemen are out of the ploy.

From Project Gutenberg

Na, na—his Excellency ken'd nought o' that ploy—it was a' managed atween Rashleigh and mysell.

From Project Gutenberg

I don't think he went on to describe any—it was mostly a ploy on my part to curry him or make him feel more at ease.

From Project Gutenberg

There is a misprint of 'employ' in Thomas Davies' edition, as before.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• device
• maneuver
• ruse
• scheme
• stratagem
• subterfuge
• tactic