subterfuge

[suhb-ter-fyooj]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR subterfuge ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Nearby words

Origin of subterfuge

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

SYNONYMS FOR subterfuge

deception, scheme, trick, dodge, ruse.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR subterfuge ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for subterfuge

The websites, subterfuge, and paid surrogates cost them money.
A Letter of Thanks to Michelle Rhee|Dmitri Mehlhorn|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Delving into why this slaughter never happened uncovers a story of spy-craft, subterfuge and tightly-kept secrets.
The Woman Who Saved Syria’s Jews|Emma Beals|March 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The witnesses were used in the worst possible way, as a sort of subterfuge to play on emotions.
Claude Lanzmann on 'Shoah', His Memoir, and the Banality of Evil|Clémence Boulouque|June 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Fitzpatrick came to Boston well suited to deal with subterfuge and corruption.
Robert Fitzpatrick’s Memoir Reveals Attempts to Stop Whitey Bulger|T.J. English|January 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST

A book that will remain relevant as long as governments use ludicrous forms of subterfuge to disguise deviant behavior.
The Daily Beast's Favorite Books of 2010|The Daily Beast|December 18, 2010|DAILY BEAST
"All right, then," he barked out, at last casting aside all subterfuge.
The Roof Tree|Charles Neville Buck
"I once told you that you were poor at subterfuge, and you know you are wronging them," she said.
Winston of the Prairie|Harold Bindloss
From beginning to end, his conduct was a record of cowardice and subterfuge.
The Trial of Jesus from a Lawyer's Standpoint, Vol. II (of II)|Walter M. Chandler
"The delay is only a subterfuge on your part," said the squire hotly.
Frank's Campaign|Horatio Alger, Jr.
Who has never caught mother or sister in a falsehood or a subterfuge?
The Dangerous Age|Karin Michalis

British Dictionary definitions for subterfuge

subterfuge

noun

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

Word Origin for subterfuge

C16: from Late Latin subterfugium, from Latin subterfugere to escape by stealth, from subter secretly + fugere to flee

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

Word Origin and History for subterfuge

subterfuge

1570s, from Middle French subterfuge, from Late Latin subterfugium "an evasion," from Latin subterfugere "to evade, escape, flee by stealth," from subter "beneath, secretly" + fugere "flee" (see fugitive).