He doesn’t know what causes it, but just wait. He’ll contrive an explanation.
Source: tatoeba (7123791)
Contrive
//kənˈtɹaɪv//
Synonyms for "contrive" (179 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (36)
Strong matches (54)
Related words (89)
hack ithammerhandlehatchhatch upimproviseinduceinspireinstigateintendintriguejockeylay plansleadmachinatemakemake a projectionmake arrangementsmake domake do with
Show 61 more words
make itmake outmake the grademake upmanagemanage somehowmaneuvermanipulatemanoeuvremanufacturematuremethodizemintmotivatemovemuddlemuddle throughnegotiateobtainorganizeoriginateplanplay gamesplotprearrangeprocreateprocureprogramprovokepull stringsput overput throughrationalizerigscheduleschematizeschemescrape alongset upshapeshape upspawnstack upstagestrikestrike outsucceedsucceed insuperinduceswingswing the dealsystematizethinkthink outthink upturn outvamp upwanglework outwork upworry along
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
4 entriesSynonyms
5 entriesderived
8 entriesetymologically related_to
1 entriesrelated to
8 entriesTranslations
50 translations across 16 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- thur verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
Ancient Greek
4 entries- μήδομαι verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
- μηχανάομαι verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
- ἐκπορίζω verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
- ἐπιβολεύω verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
Bulgarian
2 entries- замислям verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
- изобретявам verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
Catalan
1 entries- idear verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
Czech
3 entries- sestrojit verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
- vymyslet verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
- vynalézt verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
Dutch
3 entries- beramen verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
- ontwerpen verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
- plannen verb (To project, cast, or set forth, as in a projection of light)
Finnish
4 entries- heittää verb (To project, cast, or set forth, as in a projection of light)
- improvisoida verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
- keksiä verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
- suunnitella verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
French
2 entries- combiner verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
- inventer verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
German
3 entries- bewerkstelligen verb (To project, cast, or set forth, as in a projection of light)
- entwerfen verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
- ersinnen verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
Italian
4 entries- architettare verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
- combinare verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
- complottare verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
- escogitare verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- پرگارلامق verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
Romanian
2 entries- improviza verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
- inventa verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
Russian
2 entries- замышлять verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
- изобрета́ть verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
Spanish
4 entries- complotar verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
- discurrir verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
- discursar verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
- elucubrar verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
Swedish
1 entries- tänka ut verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
Turkish
4 entries- akıl etmek verb (To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot)
- icat etmek verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
- tasarlamak verb (To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation)
- yolunu bulmak verb (To project, cast, or set forth, as in a projection of light)
Sample sentences
4 total sentences available.
[…]I cannot bear the idea of two young women traveling post by themselves. It is highly improper. You must contrive to send somebody.
Source: wiktionary
Neither do thou imagine that I shall contrive aught against his life.
Source: wiktionary
With a little manœuvring they contrived to meet on the doorstep which was […] in a boiling stream of passers-by, hurrying business people speeding past in a flurry of fumes and dust in the bright haze.
Source: wiktionary
Keep exploring
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.