NSW Selective & Scholarship

Learn “Stratagem

A free exam-vocabulary guide with a precise meaning, natural context and a memory connection that makes the word easier to retrieve.

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NSW Selective & Scholarship

Stratagem

noun/STRAT-uh-juhm/

A clever plan or trick designed to outsmart an opponent.

By a simple stratagem, the students distracted the goalie and scored.

'Stratagem' hides 'strategy'; both come from the Greek word for a general's plan.

Use for a specific clever trick, unlike 'strategy' which is a broader plan.