1. An action or a trick which is used to fool someone or other people about what is really going on: Mary asked her boyfriend to go to the grocery store as a ruse because she wanted to have all their friends over for his birthday without him knowing about it!
2. Etymology or origin: from Middle English ruser, "to drive back" possibly from Latin recusare "to reject"; from re-, "back" + causari, "to give as a reason." © ALL rights are reserved.

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