The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Ruse \Ruse\, n. [F., fr. OF. re["u]ser, rehuser, to turn aside,
   to shuffle, retreat, fr. L. recusare to refuse; pref. re-
   again + causa cause. See Cause, and cf. Recusant.]
   An artifice; trick; stratagem; wile; fraud; deceit.
   [1913 Webster]

   Ruse de guerre[F.], a stratagem of war.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

ruse
    n 1: a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture) [syn:
         ruse, artifice]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

67 Moby Thesaurus words for "ruse":
   art, artful dodge, artifice, bag of tricks, blind, bluff, bosey,
   catch, chicanery, chouse, conspiracy, contrivance, coup, craft,
   curve, curve-ball, cute trick, deceit, deception, design, device,
   dirty deal, dirty trick, dodge, expedient, fakement, fast deal,
   feint, fetch, ficelle, gambit, game, gimmick, googly, grift, hoax,
   hocus-pocus, imposture, intrigue, jig, joker, juggle, jugglery,
   knavery, little game, maneuver, move, pass, plot, ploy, pretext,
   racket, red herring, scheme, scurvy trick, shift, sleight,
   sleight of hand, sleight-of-hand trick, stratagem, strategy,
   subterfuge, tactic, trick, trickery, wile, wily device