Word
ploy
US/ˈpɫɔɪ/
UK/plˈɔɪ/
Definitions
01a clever tactic
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Formal
n. a clever trick or plan you use to get what you want, often by being a bit dishonest.
n. a cunning act or strategy intended to frustrate an opponent or achieve a specific outcome, frequently carrying a connotation of manipulation.
“The company used a clever marketing ploy to make people buy the older model.”
“The negotiator's sudden threat to leave the table was merely a ploy to see how much the other side was willing to concede.”
02military formation
C2 · Proficiency Military Technical · Formal
v. to move a line of soldiers into a column formation.
v. to reduce the frontage of a body of troops by forming a column from a line on a designated subdivision.
“The commander ordered the troops to ploy into a tight column for the march.”
“The battalion was ordered to ploy upon the right-center company to facilitate a rapid movement through the narrow mountain pass.”
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“There are some words that mean about the same thing but that are more commonly used in spoken English -- words like ploy , a ruse or subterfuge .” “Hackers’ ploys improve and the countermeasures also improve,” he says.” “In the fictionalised version, an employee asks "Is that legal?" about one of their many ploys, to a round of laughter from the room of execs.” Etymology
Possibly from a shortened form of employ or deploy. Or from earlier ploye, from Middle English, borrowed from Middle French ployer (compare modern plier), from Latin plicāre.
Probably abbreviated from deploy.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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