Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb contrive

3 senses of contrive

Sense 1
plan, project, contrive, design -- (make or work out a plan for; devise; "They contrived to murder their boss"; "design a new sales strategy"; "plan an attack")
       => create by mental act, create mentally -- (create mentally and abstractly rather than with one's hands)

Sense 2
invent, contrive, devise, excogitate, formulate, forge -- (come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort; "excogitate a way to measure the speed of light")
       => create by mental act, create mentally -- (create mentally and abstractly rather than with one's hands)

Sense 3
project, cast, contrive, throw -- (put or send forth; "She threw the flashlight beam into the corner"; "The setting sun threw long shadows"; "cast a spell"; "cast a warm light")
       => send, direct -- (cause to go somewhere; "The explosion sent the car flying in the air"; "She sent her children to camp"; "He directed all his energies into his dissertation")