subterfuge
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of subterfuge
1565–75; < Late Latin subterfugium, equivalent to Latin subterfug ( ere ) to evade ( subter below + fugere to flee) + -ium -ium
Explanation
If you want to surprise your mom with a sweatshirt, but don't know her size, it might take an act of subterfuge, like going through her closet, to find it out. Subterfuge is the use of tricky actions to hide or get something. It's pronounced "SUB-ter-fyooj." As a countable noun, a subterfuge is a tricky action or device: She employed a very clever subterfuge to get the information she needed. Subterfuge is derived from the Old French suterfuge, which is ultimately from the Latin subterfugere, "to escape," from subter, "secretly, under" plus fugere, "to flee."
Vocabulary lists containing subterfuge
The Great Gatsby
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A Web of Lies
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Richard Nixon's "Checkers" Speech (1952)
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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.
This abstraction turned to subterfuge in the challengers’ briefing before the Supreme Court last month.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026
It’s possible more and more voters see through the prejudiced subterfuge, but it’s more likely that folks simply need a change.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The YouTuber, Kim Se-ui, has since posted a video claiming the authorities' allegations were a "subterfuge meant to disrupt his investigation".
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
To counteract the maritime subterfuge, Kpler analysts have to play detective.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
“Never would’ve suspected you of such subterfuge, whoever you are.”
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
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.
