Ruse

A deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture or to gain an advantage. A ruse often involves trickery, cunning, or a clever plan designed to mislead someone. It can be a deliberate falsehood intended to achieve a particular goal, frequently used in situations involving competition, strategy, or attempts to outsmart an opponent. It is often planned, calculated, and sometimes requires quick thinking and improvisation to be successful. The aim is typically to exploit a weakness or vulnerability.

Ruse meaning with examples

• The spy employed a clever ruse, pretending to be a tourist, to gather intelligence on the enemy's base. He even spoke in broken English to complete the act, getting the guard's attention and making them laugh.
• To escape the police, the bank robbers executed a ruse, releasing smoke bombs as a distraction while they made their getaway in a hidden passage to the subway.
• The magician's final act was a stunning ruse; the audience gasped as he appeared to vanish in thin air, it seemed almost too good to be true, but there were no hints.
• During the negotiations, the negotiator used the ruse of feigning interest in a minor concession to draw out information about the opposing team's strategy. This worked perfectly for him.
• In the children's game, a common ruse was to hide the object in plain sight, assuming others would search everywhere else; it was a trick that almost always worked.