deceive
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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to mislead by deliberate misrepresentation or lies
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to delude (oneself)
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to be unfaithful to (one's sexual partner)
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archaic to disappoint
his hopes were deceived
Usage
What does deceive mean? Deceive means to lie, mislead, or otherwise hide or distort the truth.The act or practice of deceiving can be called deceit or deception.Lying is only one way of deceiving. Deceiving can consist of misrepresenting or omitting the truth or more complicated cover-ups. People can even deceive themselves by avoiding the truth.The adjectives deceptive and deceitful can describe something that deceives or is intended to deceive. Someone who is known for deceiving others can be described as deceitful. Someone who is easily deceived can be described as deceivable.Sometimes, the word deceive can be used in the context of things that are naturally or innocently misleading to one’s perception (without someone doing the deceiving), as in Do my eyes deceive me? The adjective deceiving can be used in this sense, as in Looks can be deceiving.Example: A lot of advertising is intended to deceive us into thinking we need something.
Related Words
See cheat.
Other Word Forms
- deceivability noun
- deceivable adjective
- deceivableness noun
- deceivably adverb
- deceiver noun
- deceiving noun
- deceivingly adverb
- interdeceive verb
- nondeceiving adjective
- predeceive verb (used with object)
- redeceive verb (used with object)
- well-deceived adjective
Etymology
Origin of deceive
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English deceiven, from Old French deceivre, from Latin dēcipere, literally, “to ensnare,” equivalent to dē- de- + -cipere, combining form of capere “to take”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Now there is self-censorship, which in many ways is worse because we are deceiving the audience."
From BBC
Rachel managed to deceive and conquer throughout the game with her right-hand man, fellow traitor and fellow winner Stephen, who was someone she trusted from the start.
From BBC
It is worse than hypocrisy, because they seek to deceive not only others but themselves.
But many customers have said they do not believe the company collapsed due to market conditions, they said they feel deceived by Kirkham.
From BBC
"There is no fraud, no intent to deceive, nothing whatsoever criminal or remotely a basis to allege mortgage fraud," her lawyers wrote.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
