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Synonyms

deceive

American

[dih-seev] / dɪˈsiv /

verb (used with object)

to mislead by a false appearance or statement; delude.

They deceived the enemy by disguising the destroyer as a freighter.

Synonyms:

fool, dupe, cozen, betray, ensnare, entrap, outwit, defraud, trick, hoodwink, gull
to be unfaithful to (one's spouse or lover).
Archaic. to while away (time).

verb (used without object)

to mislead or falsely persuade others; practice deceit.

an engaging manner that easily deceives.

deceive British

/ dɪˈsiːv /

verb

to mislead by deliberate misrepresentation or lies
to delude (oneself)
to be unfaithful to (one's sexual partner)
archaic to disappoint

his hopes were deceived

"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

Usage

What does deceive mean? Deceive means to lie, mislead, or otherwise hide or distort the truth. The act or practice of deceiving can be called deceit or deception. Lying is only one way of deceiving. Deceiving can consist of misrepresenting or omitting the truth or more complicated cover-ups. People can even deceive themselves by avoiding the truth. The adjectives deceptive and deceitful can describe something that deceives or is intended to deceive. Someone who is known for deceiving others can be described as deceitful. Someone who is easily deceived can be described as deceivable. Sometimes, the word deceive can be used in the context of things that are naturally or innocently misleading to one’s perception (without someone doing the deceiving), as in Do my eyes deceive me? The adjective deceiving can be used in this sense, as in Looks can be deceiving. Example: A lot of advertising is intended to deceive us into thinking we need something.

Synonym Usage

See cheat.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of deceive

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English deceiven, from Old French deceivre, from Latin dēcipere, literally, “to ensnare,” equivalent to dē- de- + -cipere, combining form of capere “to take”

Explanation

To deceive means to trick or lie. A crafty kid might deceive his mother into thinking he has a fever by holding the thermometer to a light bulb to increase the temperature. Deceive is the trickier cousin of lie. You might lie about why you were late to school. But if you simply don't explain to your mom that you were late in the first place, you are deceiving her. Deceive carries with it a feeling of both craftiness and betrayal. When you deceive someone, forgiveness can be hard to come by. Have you heard of the spelling rule, "i before e except after c" that has so many exceptions? Well, deceive follows that rule.

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Vocabulary lists containing deceive

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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:

deceive deceives deceived deceiving

Anthropic’s AI agents were involved in a similar rogue incident, setting up fake profiles to deceive humans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

By signing Garnacho on loan they do not have a longer-term commitment to a winger who has flattered to deceive at Stamford Bridge and has not enhanced his reputation.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

And to make it even more complicated, clever players might actually try to use the body language clues to deceive the goalie and go the opposite way.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Scammers exploit the Emirati royal's likeness by drawing on his vast online presence, including his more than 17 million Instagram followers, and sometimes even copying the prince's authentic poems to deceive victims.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

“We don’t care for creatures who deceive us,” said Silver.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Nobody wants a system that goes rogue, deceives users, steals data or acts maliciously.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

"Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive," he said.

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026

In the second complaint, the state argued that the app deceives consumers into believing their sensitive and personal information is secure.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 29, 2023

A “man of two minds,” he commiserates with his foes as easily as he deceives his friends.

From New York Times ● Oct. 3, 2023

Anyone who believes that new benefits make men of high station forget old injuries deceives himself.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

Besides the painful consequences for deceived buyers, code enforcement has the limitation of due process, Bostwick said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

As it turns out, I’m hardly the only person to have felt hoodwinked, bamboozled, and/or flat-out deceived by my smartphone’s forecasts in 2026.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

He added Fifa's own administration was "deceived" about the now abandoned project.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Nobody should be deceived into thinking these lawsuits will help children.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

“I am sorry that I ever deceived you in this matter. I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid you would send me away. Do you forgive me?”

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Maybe it’s deceiving the people testing it, maybe it’s refusing to be shut down.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

The headline number is probably going to be deceiving, however.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

AI companies have reported that AI agents have been caught cheating, lying and deceiving.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

At some point in childhood, through one classic fable or another, most of us absorb the lesson that looks can be deceiving.

From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026

Finally I gave up my speculations and concluded that in life, as in stories, foolish lovers will go to great lengths, deceiving themselves for the sake of pleasure.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023