subterfuge
[ suhb-ter-fyooj ]
/ ˈsʌb tərˌfyudʒ /
noun
an artifice or expedient used to evade a rule, escape a consequence, hide something, etc.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
stratagem, ploy, bluff, sham, deception, ruse, device, trick, hoax, artifice, refuge, fraud, evasion, cheat, shift, excuse, chicanery, sophistry, plan, scheme
Nearby words
- subteen,
- subtemperate,
- subtenant,
- subtend,
- subtenure,
- subterminal,
- subternatural,
- subterrane,
- subterranean,
- subterrene
Origin of subterfuge
1565–75; < Late Latin subterfugium, equivalent to Latin subterfug(ere) to evade (subter below + fugere to flee) + -ium -ium
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for subterfuge
subterfuge
/ (ˈsʌbtəˌfjuːdʒ) /
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