delude
Americanverb (used with object)
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deludes,
present (3rd person singular)
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deluded,
past participle, past
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deluding
present participle
verb
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to deceive the mind or judgment of; mislead; beguile
-
rare to frustrate (hopes, expectations, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deludesimple
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deludessimple
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have deludedperfect
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has deludedperfect
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am deludingprogressive
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are deludingprogressive
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is deludingprogressive
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have been deludingperfect progressive
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has been deludingperfect progressive
Past
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deludedsimple
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had deludedperfect
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was deludingprogressive
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were deludingprogressive
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had been deludingperfect progressive
Future
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”
Explanation
To delude is to trick or fool, often in relation to yourself. If you delude yourself into thinking your mom's chocolate cake is low in fat, you'll be disappointed to find out it's made with two sticks of butter! If you delude someone into thinking something, you are making a fool of them, or making them foolish. The word shares a root with ludicrous which means completely ridiculous. The thing that you foolishly believe is a delusion. Someone with delusions of grandeur has deluded themselves into thinking they are very, very special.
Vocabulary lists containing delude
Tricky Terms for April Fool's Day
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Othello
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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:
"To cheat, trick, deceive, delude with false pretences; to impose upon, take in, hoax."
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
"People delude themselves that the human race is so clever that we'll come up with some wonderful technology that'll make this all go away."
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Some people delude themselves into thinking they’re financially independent when they’re not.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
He’s also “theologically” grateful to be reminded that he is “dependent,” that “I can’t delude myself in claiming that I’m self-sufficient.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
John Faa said, “Lyra, there en’t no question of taking you into danger, so don’t delude yourself, child. Stay here and help Ma Costa and keep safe. That’s what you got to do.”
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
She concocts a fantasy, one that Arthur deludes himself into believing.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2024
It deludes us into thinking that someone else is going to rush in while we watch and cheer from the stands.
From Slate ● Mar. 4, 2024
Perhaps May also deludes herself that the present moment is especially propitious for a renewal of “our special relationship”.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 14, 2017
One good way of describing a speculative bubble is a moment when society deludes itself into believing that something plentiful is scarce, or will soon be.
From New York Times ● Feb. 10, 2017
But beneath the fair semblance of nature that for a time deludes our senses, a dark and terrible reality is concealed.
From Creed And Deed A Series of Discourses by Felix Adler
Pauling may never be fully vindicated, but neither was he simply deluded.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
If that’s the case, he is more deluded than he seems to think the rest of us are.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2026
But he is also so paranoid, deluded and consumed with self-loathing that throughout this caustically witty novel we can’t help but root for him every step of the way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
"They weren't there; they weren't involved in the investigation. Some of these people are deluded," he says.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025
He’d continued down to the beach still unaffected, the bad news acting with a kind of discretion, allowing him these last few peaceful, deluded moments.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
"She must have known. If she didn't know, she was deluding herself, because she was there," he said.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
There could be “huge social ruptures where one side sees the other as very cruelly exploiting AI while the other side sees the first as deluding itself into thinking there’s sentience there,” he said.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2025
But if they really believe they can stay in these two separate lanes, they’re deluding themselves.
From Slate ● May 23, 2025
“But I think really they will be deluding themselves if they think that that bodes well for the next general election.”
From Washington Times ● Jul. 21, 2023
This is her accomplishment these days: deluding the tutor.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
