beguile
Americanverb (used with object)
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beguiles,
present (3rd person singular)
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beguiled,
past participle, past
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beguiling
present participle
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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beguilesimple
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beguilessimple
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have beguiledperfect
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has beguiledperfect
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am beguilingprogressive
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are beguilingprogressive
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is beguilingprogressive
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have been beguilingperfect progressive
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has been beguilingperfect progressive
Past
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beguiledsimple
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had beguiledperfect
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was beguilingprogressive
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were beguilingprogressive
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had been beguilingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of beguile
First recorded in 1175–1225, beguile is from the Middle English word bigilen. See be-, guile
Explanation
To beguile is to entertain and convince by flattery. Someone who beguiles is tricky and often charming, like when a smooth-talking friend tries to beguile you into giving them your allowance. The word beguile is from Middle English, and while guile involves deceit, to beguile means to spend time pleasantly, even if it involves trickery. If someone beguiles you for an afternoon, you were amused, entertained, or otherwise pleased. The word can also have a darker tone, as when the person who beguiled you for the afternoon was actually trying to steal your car. Con artists and cat videos tend to beguile people.
Vocabulary lists containing beguile
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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:
Edward Brooke-Hitching supplies all sorts of tidbits to beguile readers ages 7-9 in this entertaining compendium.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
For now, here are the titles that beguile us going in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2025
In the years since, the pinwheels have continued to fascinate, beguile and confound us.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 18, 2023
English Heritage is not alone in its efforts to beguile visitors with historical treats.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2023
“Do you think you can beguile this conclave with your baubles and vanity? We are not so base as to be dazzled by shiny things.”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
We witness McFadin as he smilingly interrogates—and intimidates—witnesses and plaintiffs, beguiles juries and sweet-talks judges, knocking down charges against Kenrex as if bowling strike after strike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
What makes White’s Emmy-winning series stand out is how he immediately beguiles his viewers by not revealing the identity of the deceased nor the cause of death.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 12, 2022
You need a thing that beguiles its way into people’s lives and then beguiles them into becoming programmers.
From The Verge ● Mar. 8, 2022
Here, Cooke, a Manchester native, convincingly turns Irish as the spirited young woman who beguiles most everyone but always seems to have a hidden agenda.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2021
It says thou hast no spirit's favour, That verse, which seemingly beguiles thee, Hath unto thee a Sanskrit savour.
From Enamels and Cameos and other Poems by Agnes Lee
Yet this strangely compelling work has simultaneously beguiled and baffled art historians for generations, starting with the odd moment that Pontormo chose to depict in his innovative way, isolated from the rest of the narrative.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
When people suggest that California is not really America, we might wonder whether they have been beguiled by some mythic vision of America.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 26, 2024
In the 18th century, the 13th duchess beguiled the painter Goya, who portrayed her several times.
From New York Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
Known for possessing a quirky personality and, at times, an over-the-top perspective, Harbaugh’s history is that of a coach beloved by his players and beguiled by his critics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2024
We see straight-arrow Rex Harri- son disdaining Alexandria in the 1963 film Cleopatra, until he is beguiled by Elizabeth Taylor.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
This, and a range of other publications hailing Asia’s economic “miracle” led Edwards to conclude “too many people believed the beguiling narrative” and as a consequence, “lent these economies cheap, abundant capital which was misallocated.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
In very different registers, three other films were equally beguiling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
You can hear clear and compelling evidence of this on the opening track, “Jungle Roux,” in the beguiling falsetto on “Duvateen,” or the fascinating vocal treatment on “My Lover.”
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
He is asking for forgiveness for backing a faulty product, while also claiming to be a victim of its beguiling charms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
The smell of the snacks filled the street, sweet and beguiling.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
