deceive
Americanverb (used with object)
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deceives,
present (3rd person singular)
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deceived,
past participle, past
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deceiving
present participle
verb (used without object)
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deceives,
present (3rd person singular)
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deceived,
past participle, past
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deceiving
present participle
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.
Synonym Usage
See cheat.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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deceivabilitynoun
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deceivablenessnoun
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deceivernoun
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deceivingnoun
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interdeceiveverb
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predeceiveverb (used with object)
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redeceiveverb (used with object)
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deceivableadjective
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nondeceivingadjective
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well-deceivedadjective
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deceivablyadverb
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deceivinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deceivesimple
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deceivessimple
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have deceivedperfect
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has deceivedperfect
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am deceivingprogressive
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are deceivingprogressive
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is deceivingprogressive
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have been deceivingperfect progressive
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has been deceivingperfect progressive
Past
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deceivedsimple
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had deceivedperfect
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was deceivingprogressive
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were deceivingprogressive
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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
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
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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:
They claimed SConnect had attempted "to deceive the young Wolfoo viewership, most aged between two and five, into believing that Wolfoo is the same character as Peppa Pig" or connected to Peppa, the judge wrote.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Scammers exploit the Emirati royal's likeness by drawing on his vast online presence, including his more than 17 million Instagram followers, and sometimes even copying the prince's authentic poems to deceive victims.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
“What he didn’t know — and what the FBI’s own investigation goes out of its way to clarify — is that his staff cooked up a scheme designed to deceive him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
Paradoxically, AI systems that produce more accurate results can be more likely to deceive users with inaccurate ones, said Pratik Verma, founder and CEO of Okahu, which helps people improve their use of AI tools.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
For that matter, Odysseus himself might have borrowed a trick or two from the rabbit hero, for he is very old and was never at a loss for a trick to deceive his enemies.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
"Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive," he said.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
This deceives consumers and harms coffee growers, it said.
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
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
"Instead it did something even cleverer — it brought together existing genes, which already do other things in different parts of the plant, to make a complicated spot on the petals that deceives male flies."
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2023
I will be the proverbial parent who deceives the child by offering medicine laced with sweet syrup.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
In truth, his parents had wanted to save him from the same villagers who deceived him with the False Asa.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Attorney General Letitia James sued a group of major chemical and agricultural companies, alleging they deceived consumers about the risks of toxic chemicals in their products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Dana, falling in love with Zorro and out of love with Diego, and being deceived by both, is sublimely affecting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
D. Miles Brissette, an attorney for protester Meagan Morris, said his client went to Alvarado that night expecting a peaceful demonstration and felt deceived by what unfolded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 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
The headline number is probably going to be deceiving, however.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
He had blamed his conviction on a girl deceiving him with fake ID, she says.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
At some point in childhood, through one classic fable or another, most of us absorb the lesson that looks can be deceiving.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026
“I think we should focus on the new and leave behind negative rhetoric, the malice, and the effort to deceive—to keep deceiving Venezuelans and the world,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Unless Harry’s eyes were deceiving him, Fudge was suddenly looking awkward.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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.
