cheat sheet
Americannoun
-
a sheet of paper or a digital document containing information used by a student for cheating on an exam or in the classroom.
She had a cheat sheet for the history test with a list of the correct answers.
-
a document containing notes or other aids used as a reference in studying or remembering certain information.
I used a cheat sheet with statistics and bar graphs to prepare for my radio interview.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cheat sheet
First recorded in 1935–40
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.
Scientists have uncovered evidence that evolution has relied on the same genetic "cheat sheet" for more than 120 million years, raising the possibility that life on Earth may be more predictable than once believed.
From Science Daily • May 4, 2026
A cheat sheet to nine complications, from day-date to tourbillon—each illustrated by a standout model.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
There are ways to compress information to fit more of it onto this cheat sheet but it still fills up quickly.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
But in case you're only just joining the awards race, here's a quick cheat sheet of which films have the most longlist mentions at the Bafta Film Awards, and what they're about:
From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026
The first Saturday it was warm enough, he walked in circles around the base of the tree with a calculator and a cheat sheet of geometry equations.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
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.
