cheat

[ cheet ]

See synonyms for: cheat cheated cheating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to defraud; swindle: He cheated her out of her inheritance.
to deceive; influence by fraud: He cheated us into believing him a hero.

to elude; deprive of something expected: He cheated the law by suicide.

verb (used without object)

to practice fraud or deceit: She cheats without regrets.
to violate rules or regulations: He cheats at cards.

to take an examination or test in a dishonest way, as by improper access to answers.
Informal. to be sexually unfaithful (often followed by on): Her husband knew she had been cheating all along. He cheated on his wife.

noun

a person who acts dishonestly, deceives, or defrauds: He is a cheat and a liar.
a fraud; swindle; deception: The game was a cheat.

Law. the fraudulent obtaining of another's property by a pretense or trick.
an impostor: The man who passed as an earl was a cheat.

Origin of cheat

1325–75; Middle English chet (noun) (aphetic for achet, variant of eschetescheat); cheten to escheat, derivative of chet (noun)

synonym study For cheat

1. Cheat, deceive, trick, victimize refer to the use of fraud or artifice deliberately to hoodwink or obtain an unfair advantage over someone. Cheat implies conducting matters fraudulently, especially for profit to oneself: to cheat at cards. Deceive suggests deliberately misleading or deluding, to produce misunderstanding or to prevent someone from knowing the truth: to deceive one's parents. To trick is to deceive by a stratagem, often of a petty, crafty, or dishonorable kind: to trick someone into signing a note. To victimize is to make a victim of; the emotional connotation makes the cheating, deception, or trickery seem particularly dastardly: to victimize a blind man.

Other words for cheat

1	mislead, dupe, delude; gull, con; hoax, fool
8	swindler, trickster, sharper, dodger, charlatan, fraud, fake, phony, mountebank
9	imposture, artifice, trick, hoax

See synonyms for cheat on Thesaurus.com

Other words from cheat

cheat·a·ble, adjective
cheat·ing·ly, adverb
outcheat, verb (used with object)
un·cheat·ed, adjective
un·cheat·ing, adjective

Words Nearby cheat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cheat in a sentence

This comes in part from the fact that the Cullinan has a cheat sheet.
The first Rolls-Royce SUV has tricks that might actually justify its price tag | Dan Carney | October 5, 2020 | Popular-Science
They were salt-packed and full of “preservatives” and that ghastly enemy, MSG, but more than anything, they were the tools of cheats.
The Redemption of the Spice Blend | Jaya Saxena | September 10, 2020 | Eater
“There should be a cheat sheet out there for what test to use when,” Wells said.
Spit vs. Swab? Scientists say new studies support use of ‘saliva tests’ for COVID | Lee Clifford | September 5, 2020 | Fortune
For example, when you’re gearing up for a big promotional launch, create a cheat sheet of pre-written social copy and send over several variations that fit different channels.
Five content promotion strategies SaaS marketers should implement today | Izabelle Hundrev | August 28, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
Using that formula, which is a bit of a cheat, e-commerce is now closer to 21%.
E-commerce explodes: 45% growth in Q2 | Greg Sterling | August 19, 2020 | Search Engine Land

cheat, in other words—on God, on our fellow man, ultimately, on ourselves.
McConaughey’s ‘Stand’—And Ours | James Poulos | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
If a Queen did cheat, her crimes fade into insignificance compared to the extensive philandering engaged in by medieval monarchs.
The Sex Life of King Richard III's Randy Great Great Great Grandfather | Tom Sykes | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Clients who are wary of online transactions are liable to see escorts with print ads as less likely to cheat or scam them.
The Importance of Adult Classifieds | Hazlitt | September 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Vennare adds that cheat days can occasionally do more harm than good.
When Is It OK to Cheat? The Pros and Cons of Cheat Days | DailyBurn | July 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And if so, is it possible to “cheat” without feeling the effects or seeing them on the scale?
When Is It OK to Cheat? The Pros and Cons of Cheat Days | DailyBurn | July 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He turned to Miller, and said haughtily in his imperfect English, “Did you see the cheat, you?”
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Locke
And thirdly he knew that his adversary would cheat if he could and that his adversary suspected him of fraudulent designs.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Locke
She had submitted to giving up the salmon, but the devil himself should not cheat her out of her dessert.
Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange Kielland
I soon find out when they are trying to cheat me; then they come smirking and smiling with 'Guten Abis.'
Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange Kielland
The tongue can't cheat the brain, and right now reading is out of the question.
My Wonderful Visit | Charlie Chaplin

British Dictionary definitions for cheat

cheat

/ (tʃiːt) /

verb

to deceive or practise deceit, esp for one's own gain; trick or swindle (someone)
(intr) to obtain unfair advantage by trickery, as in a game of cards

(tr) to escape or avoid (something unpleasant) by luck or cunning: to cheat death
(when intr, usually foll by on) informal to be sexually unfaithful to (one's wife, husband, or lover)

noun

a person who cheats
a deliberately dishonest transaction, esp for gain; fraud

informal sham
law the obtaining of another's property by fraudulent means
the usual US name for rye-brome

Origin of cheat

C14: short for escheat

Derived forms of cheat

cheatable, adjective
cheater, noun
cheatingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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