beguile
Americanverb (used with object)
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to influence by trickery, flattery, etc.; mislead; delude.
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to take away from by cheating or deceiving (usually followed byof ).
to be beguiled of money.
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to charm or divert.
a multitude of attractions to beguile the tourist.
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to pass (time) pleasantly.
beguiling the long afternoon with a good book.
verb
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to charm; fascinate
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to delude; influence by slyness
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to deprive (someone) of something by trickery; cheat (someone) of
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to pass pleasantly; while away
Usage
What does beguile mean? Beguile means to mislead through trickery or flattery, or to deceive someone in order to swindle them out of something.Beguile can also mean to charm in a good way—you can be beguiled by an interesting person or a book that really captures your imagination, for example. Someone or something that’s charming in such a way can be described as beguiling.All senses of the word can imply a sense of magic or enchantment. There are several similar verbs that often have magical feel, such as charm, enchant, bewitch, enrapture, and enthrall.Example: He beguiled his victims with a charm that left them unable to see the deception that was taking place.
Other Word Forms
- beguilement noun
- beguiler noun
- unbeguiled adjective
- unbeguiling adjective
Etymology
Origin of beguile
First recorded in 1175–1225, beguile is from the Middle English word bigilen. See be-, guile
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.
It includes this beguiling take on Winter Wonderland, originally written in 1934, and covered more than 200 times.
From BBC
Monkey’s capture comes about by his being believably beguiled by the sound of the lute-like pipa.
From Los Angeles Times
Lang beguiled with common chords that no longer sounded common, with standard rhythms that intertwined, went on and off the beat, creating arrhythmia delight.
From Los Angeles Times
Strong, who won an Olivier Award for his performance in Ivo van Hove’s revival of Arthur Miller’s “A View From the Bridge,” exposes the boyish vulnerability within the sophisticated politician in his sympathetically beguiling portrayal.
From Los Angeles Times
Smith agrees and his version of Bunny is more beguiling and dangerous, and his appeal makes his downfall harder to dismiss.
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.
