dirty tricks

plural noun

: underhanded stratagems for obtaining secret information about or sabotaging an enemy or for discrediting an opponent (as in politics)
dirty trickster noun

Examples of dirty tricks in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Transactional relationships abound, along with shifting alliances, dirty tricks and lusty proclivities against a backdrop of new money and old. Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 17 Oct. 2024 Think of it as dirty tricks on steroids. Miles Taylor, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024 Ted presents the judge with a different affidavit, this time the one the greasy journalist provided them, and informs the court of the DA’s dirty tricks to strong-arm those papers. Ayan Artan, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2025 The voting period for the Academy Awards will end on Feb. 18, and Gascón implied that the timing of the revelations was no accident, alluding to a dirty tricks campaign against her. Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dirty tricks

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dirty tricks was in 1963

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Cite this Entry

“Dirty tricks.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dirty%20tricks. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

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