wile
Americannoun
-
a trick, artifice, or stratagem meant to fool, trap, or entice; device.
- Synonyms:
- maneuver, contrivance, deception
-
wiles, artful or beguiling behavior.
- Synonyms:
- maneuver, contrivance, deception
-
deceitful cunning; trickery.
verb (used with object)
verb phrase
noun
-
trickery, cunning, or craftiness
-
(usually plural) an artful or seductive trick or ploy
verb
Synonym Usage
See trick.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of wile
1125–75; (noun) Middle English; late Old English wil, perhaps < Old Norse vēl artifice, earlier *wihl-
Explanation
The noun wile is good for describing a particular kind of deviousness, but its plural form is most commonly used. Your charming brother might use his wiles to talk your parents into loaning him money again and again. You can describe your cousin's knack for getting exactly what he wants through slyness and trickery as his wile. Language experts can only guess about the origin of wile, though many believe it's related to the Old Norse vél, or "craft." Others think there may be a connection with the Old English word for "wizard," wicca.
Vocabulary lists containing wile
Beowulf
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Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 7
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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.
When Wile asked Mitchell if his conscience was “good with doing this,” the principal stood firm.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026
The Wile E. Coyote plunge, while plausible, isn’t inevitable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
Which reminds me of another hapless cartoon character who thought himself a genius but who kept screwing things up in ceaseless pursuit of his quarry: Wile E. Coyote.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
They were happy to see the returning likes of Nolan, Spielberg, Gerwig and Wile E. Coyote.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026
I seemed to hover in midair for a moment, like Wile E. Coyote in the old Roadrunner cartoons.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
