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Synonyms

ruse

1 American  
[rooz] / ruz /

noun

  1. a trick, stratagem, or artifice.

Ruse 2 American  
[roo-sey] / ˈru seɪ /

noun

  1. a city in N Bulgaria, on the Danube.

Ruse 1 British  
/ ˈruːseɪ /

noun

  1. a city in NE Bulgaria, on the River Danube: the chief river port and one of the largest industrial centres in Bulgaria. Pop: 172 000 (2005 est)

"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
ruse 2 British  
/ ruːz /

noun

  1. an action intended to mislead, deceive, or trick; stratagem

"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

Related Words

See trick.

Etymology

Origin of ruse

1375–1425; late Middle English (noun use of obsolete rusen to detour) < Middle French, derivative of ruser to retreat. See rush 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One day, and I guess that day has finally come, this ruse stopped working.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

Markets will make wrong reads, fall for a ruse or bad news that turns out to be not so bad after all.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026

Viewers immediately saw through the ruse, recognizing that Ring’s web of surveillance could absolutely be used to watch almost everyone, almost everywhere, whether or not they’ve done something illegal.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026

After he saves the day, and his Daily Planet colleagues remark on Superman’s skills, his alter ego Clark Kent gives a sly glance to the camera, letting the audience in on the, quite obvious, ruse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

There was a rumor that Seabiscuit’s lameness was a ruse designed to avoid a loss to War Admiral, and an awful lot of people believed it.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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.