Mike played a bad trick on his brother.
Source: tatoeba (32910)
Trick
/tɹɪk/
Synonyms for "trick" (669 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (134)
Noun(25 words)
aberrationabilityabnormalityaccomplishmentaceactionad hoc measureaffectationairy nothingalibianchor watchanomalyansweranticapologyaromaartartful dodgeartificeattribute
Show 79 more words
autismautomatismbad habitbadgebag of tricksbamboozlebe effectivebefoolbeguilebest bowerbetraybewitchbilkbitblindbluffboseyboutbowerbrandbubblecabalcachetcajolecanardcantripcapercapricecardcardscastcastle in the aircatchcatchycharactercharacteristiccheatcheat onchicanechicanerychimerachiselchousecircumventcloakclubscollusioncolorcommand of languagecomplicitycomplotconconfederacyconfigurationconjureconnivanceconspiracycontrivancecontrivingcountermovecounterplotcoupcourse of actioncovercover storycover upcover-upcovincozencraftcreature of habitcrotchetcurvecurve-ballcustomcutcute trickday shiftdaydream
Strong matches (201)
deceitdeceivedeceptiondeckdecoydeeddeep-laid plotdefectivedefrauddeludedeluded beliefdelusiondemarchedereismdesigndeucedeviationdevicediamonddiamonds
Show 116 more words
diddledidodifferentiadifferentialdirty dealdirty trickdistinctive featuredivergencedo the trickdodgedogwatchdouble crossdouble-crossdreamdream visiondreamlanddreamworlddummydupedustearmarkeccentricityeffortengineeringexaggerationexcuseexpedientexpression of ideasfacadeface cardsfake outfakementfalse belieffashionfast dealfeatfeaturefeelfeeling for wordsfeintfetchficellefigurefill the billfinaglingfinesseflavorflimflamflushfoiblefoistfoolforce of habitforestallform of speechframe upframe-upfraudfrolicfrontfull housefull timegaggambitgamegammonget aroundgiftgimmickglossgogooglygrace of expressiongrandiloquencegraveyard shiftgriftguisegullgusthabithabit patternhabitudehalf timehallmarkhandhandlehanghaveheartshoaxhocus pocushocus-pocushoodwinkhornswagglehorseplayhumbugidiocrasyidiosyncrasyignis fatuusillusionimpostureimpressimpressionimprovisationindexindividualisminflationinsecureintrigueirregularityjackjapejigjokerjugglejugglery
Related words (334)
jury rigjury-rigjury-rigged expedientkeynotekidkingknackknaveknaverylame excuselarklast expedientlast resortlast shiftleft bowerleg-pulllegerdemainlet downlineamentsliterary style
Show 237 more words
little gamelobster tricklocus standimachinationmagicmake merry withmakeshiftmaneuvermaneuveringmanipulationmannermanner of speakingmannerismmanoeuvremarkmarkingmaskmeansmeans to an endmeasureminauderiemisbeliefmischiefmisconceptionmisguidemisinformmisleadmockmodemode of expressionmoldmonkeyshinesmouldmouldermouldymovenaturenight shiftnonconformityoddityodorostensible motiveoutmaneuveroutreachoutsmartoutwitoverreachovertimepackpairpart timeparticularitypasspatternpeculiar traitpeculiaritypersonal stylepicture cardspigeonpipe dreampis allerplay one falseplay pranksplay tricksplaying cardsplotplottingploypoor excusepractical jokepracticeprankpraxispretensepretensionpretextpreypropertyprotestationpublic motivepull a fast oneput offput one onput something overput-offqualityqueenquirkracketred herringrefugerelayresortresourcerhetoricriderigriggingrookroundroyal flushrubberruffrusesavorschemeschemeryschemingscreenscurvy tricksealsecond naturesecretself-deceitself-deceptionself-delusionsemblanceshake upshake-upshakyshamshapeshenaniganshenanigansshiftshineshowshufflesingletonsingularityskillsleightsleight of handsleight-of-hand tricksmacksmoke screensnowsolutionspadespadesspecialtyspellsplit schedulesplit shiftspoofsportstalking horsestalking-horsestallstampstepstereotypestereotyped behaviorstintstopgapstraightstrainstrangenessstratagemstrategystringstring alongstrokestroke of policystuntstylestylistic analysisstylisticssubterfugesufficesunrise watchswindleswingswing shifttactictainttaketake intangtastetechniquetemporary expedientthe grand stylethe plain stylethe sublimetimetokentomfoolerytouchtouchytourtour of dutytrademarktraittraptreytrick of behaviortrickerytrickytriptrumpturnturn of workturn the tricktwisttwist and turntwo timetwo-timeundependableunderplotunreliableunstableuntrustworthyusageusevaporvarnishveilveinvictimizewaggish trickwatchwayweaknessweb of intriguewheezewhimsywilewily devicewire pullingwire-pullingwontworkwork shiftworking hypothesisworking propositionwrong impression
Verb(12 words)
Noun(64 words)
kidsknackslarkinglegerdemainlullmagicmagic trickmethodmisleadmonkeyshinemountebankmountebanksnutmegsoutfoxingoutwittingperformphishphishingploysprank
Show 44 more words
prankspunksput-onrip-offrooksruserusesscamscamsscheatschemescherzishanghaishanghaissharkingshenaniganshortcutshtickskateboardskateboardingsleightsnookerstagestratagemsstringstuntsubterfugessuckersuckeringswindleswindlesswindlingswiztechniquethaumaturgythimblerigtrappingtriflewhoremasterwhoremongerwileswilinesswizesyock
Adjective(1 words)
schemed events
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: con, deception, illusion, ploy, a device.
- Sentence evidence is available for trick, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, opengloss, wordnet, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "trick".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "trick"
Keep "trick" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "trick" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "trick", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "trick" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
28 entriesShowing 16 of 28 words.
More specific
16 entriesCollocations
10 entriescard trickdirty trickmagic trickoptical trickparty trickpsychological tricksleight of handstatistical tricktrick of the tradetrick question
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriesSample sentences
57 total sentences available.
The pianist played a trick on the audience.
Source: tatoeba (34913)
It's just a trick of the wind.
Source: tatoeba (40874)
You can't fool me with a trick like that.
Source: tatoeba (41338)
Showing 4 of 57 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "trick"?
Closest matches include con, deception, illusion, ploy, a device.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "trick"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.