delude
Americanverb
-
to deceive the mind or judgment of; mislead; beguile
-
rare to frustrate (hopes, expectations, etc)
Other Word Forms
- deludable adjective
- deluder noun
- deludingly adverb
- nondeluding adjective
- undeluding adjective
Etymology
Origin of delude
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English deluden, from Latin dēlūdere “to play false,” equivalent to dē- de- + lūdere “to play”
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.
“We delude ourselves, too, if we think that power will accumulate safely and only in the hands of dispassionate ‘people . . . found in agencies.’”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026
Blanche is just the latest person to delude himself this way.
From Salon • May 2, 2024
“Let’s not delude ourselves, Mr. Diab will never be extradited from Canada,” he said.
From New York Times • Apr. 21, 2023
“They delude themselves with groupthink so that they can pretend this isn’t about hate but about protection, but we know the truth.”
From Seattle Times • Apr. 7, 2023
People delude themselves in all sorts of ways.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
