deceive
Americanverb (used with object)
-
deceives,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deceived,
past participle, past
-
deceiving
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
deceives,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deceived,
past participle, past
-
deceiving
present participle
verb
-
to mislead by deliberate misrepresentation or lies
-
to delude (oneself)
-
to be unfaithful to (one's sexual partner)
-
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.
Synonym Usage
See cheat.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
deceivabilitynoun
-
deceivablenessnoun
-
deceivernoun
-
deceivingnoun
-
interdeceiveverb
-
predeceiveverb (used with object)
-
redeceiveverb (used with object)
-
deceivableadjective
-
nondeceivingadjective
-
well-deceivedadjective
-
deceivablyadverb
-
deceivinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
deceivesimple
-
deceivessimple
-
have deceivedperfect
-
has deceivedperfect
-
am deceivingprogressive
-
are deceivingprogressive
-
is deceivingprogressive
-
have been deceivingperfect progressive
-
has been deceivingperfect progressive
Past
-
deceivedsimple
-
had deceivedperfect
-
was deceivingprogressive
-
were deceivingprogressive
-
had been deceivingperfect progressive
Future
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”
Explanation
To deceive means to trick or lie. A crafty kid might deceive his mother into thinking he has a fever by holding the thermometer to a light bulb to increase the temperature. Deceive is the trickier cousin of lie. You might lie about why you were late to school. But if you simply don't explain to your mom that you were late in the first place, you are deceiving her. Deceive carries with it a feeling of both craftiness and betrayal. When you deceive someone, forgiveness can be hard to come by. Have you heard of the spelling rule, "i before e except after c" that has so many exceptions? Well, deceive follows that rule.
Vocabulary lists containing deceive
May the 4th Be With You: Star Wars Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
An assortment of politicians and watchdog groups have expressed concern about campaigns using generative AI to produce deepfakes – synthetic videos showing people doing things they did not do – that might deceive voters.
From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2026
"To cheat, trick, deceive, delude with false pretences; to impose upon, take in, hoax."
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Your eyes don’t deceive you, he appears measurably improved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Suppose future AI agents learn how to specifically deceive you.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Not to deceive myself, I must reply—No: I felt desolate to a degree.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Nobody wants a system that goes rogue, deceives users, steals data or acts maliciously.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
In the second complaint, the state argued that the app deceives consumers into believing their sensitive and personal information is secure.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
A “man of two minds,” he commiserates with his foes as easily as he deceives his friends.
From New York Times ● Oct. 3, 2023
It also claims that deceives young users with age ratings of 12 and above on Apple and Google app stores.
From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2022
Anyone who believes that new benefits make men of high station forget old injuries deceives himself.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
The episode highlights the lengths some consumers will go to check the homework of brands that position themselves as guardians of the human craft—and the backlash that can be drawn if they feel deceived.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
"I regret it... because I wasn't young when the organisation deceived me," he told the court.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
Facebook was found to have deceived its users through statements and remarks made on its own platforms, interviews, earnings calls and other channels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Jackson insisted until his death in 1951 that he was not involved and that, despite receiving $5,000, he had been deceived into signing a confession.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
So every day she wove on the great loom— but every night by torchlight she unwove it, and so for three years she deceived the Akhaians.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Investors returning from the Labor Day break could be forgiven for wondering if their eyes were deceiving them, but yes, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were significantly worse than the S&P 500.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
A report from the UK's Centre for Long Term Resilience, external, published last week, identified hundreds of incidents of AI tools ignoring instructions, evading safeguards and deceiving humans, including AI agents deleting files without consent.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
AI companies have reported that AI agents have been caught cheating, lying and deceiving.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Two days after his incident with Santana, Caballero was called for a pitch-clock violation when umpires deemed that he was attempting to circumvent the rules by deceiving the pitcher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
I stare at it in horror and disbelief, hoping that my eyes are deceiving me and this ugly red symbol is something other than what I know it is.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
