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subterfuge

American  
[suhb-ter-fyooj] / ˈsʌb tərˌfyudʒ /

noun

  1. an artifice or expedient used to evade a rule, escape a consequence, hide something, etc.

    Synonyms:
    ruse, dodge, trick, scheme, deception
subterfuge British  
/ ˈsʌbtəˌfjuːdʒ /

noun

  1. a stratagem employed to conceal something, evade an argument, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of subterfuge

1565–75; < Late Latin subterfugium, equivalent to Latin subterfug ( ere ) to evade ( subter below + fugere to flee) + -ium -ium

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.