deceit
Americannoun
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the act or practice of deceiving; concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading; duplicity; fraud; cheating.
Once she exposed their deceit, no one ever trusted them again.
- Synonyms:
- dissimulation , deception
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an act or device intended to deceive; trick; stratagem.
-
the quality of being deceitful; duplicity; falseness.
a man full of deceit.
noun
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the act or practice of deceiving
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a statement, act, or device intended to mislead; fraud; trick
-
a tendency to deceive
Usage
What does deceit mean? Deceit is the act or practice of deceiving—lying, misleading, or otherwise hiding or distorting the truth. The word deception often means the same thing and is perhaps more commonly used.Deceit doesn’t just involve lying. It can consist of misrepresenting or omitting the truth or more complicated cover-ups. Anything that involves intentionally misleading someone is deceit.The word deceit often implies a pattern of behavior, rather than a one-time act. The adjective deceitful can describe something that deceives or is intended to deceive, or someone who is known for engaging in deceit.Less commonly, the word deceit can refer to an action, scheme, or trick intended to deceive, as in It was a clever deceit, but I didn’t fall for it. Another less common sense of the word refers to the quality of being deceitful. A deceitful person can be said to be full of deceit.Example: I’m sick of your constant lying and deceit—I can’t trust anything you say!
Related Words
See duplicity
Other Word Forms
- nondeceit noun
Etymology
Origin of deceit
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English deceite, from Anglo-French, Old French, noun use of feminine of deceit “deceived,” past participle of deceivre “to deceive”; deceive
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.
In the days and weeks after the 2020 election, partisans across the country used lies and deceit to try to defraud the American people and steal the White House.
From Los Angeles Times
"I just don't think Alan would be able to comprehend the enormous sense of gratitude we have to him for being our patron and for putting himself through all that lying and deceit."
From BBC
They are mere dramatic deceits, liquid coming on cue.
From Salon
"This musical of deceit and suffering puts her in the starring role, seizing control of her narrative and holding little back."
From BBC
Tragically, the populists’ positions have been based on myths and deceit from the beginning.
From MarketWatch
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.
