delude
Americanverb (used with object)
-
deludes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deluded,
past participle, past
-
deluding
present participle
verb
-
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
-
deludesimple
-
deludessimple
-
have deludedperfect
-
has deludedperfect
-
am deludingprogressive
-
are deludingprogressive
-
is deludingprogressive
-
have been deludingperfect progressive
-
has been deludingperfect progressive
Past
-
deludedsimple
-
had deludedperfect
-
was deludingprogressive
-
were deludingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Othello
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
Claire still can delude herself into believing that Madame “loves” and “adores” them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
He could no longer delude Kira into thinking this was an ordinary journey.
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
She concocts a fantasy, one that Arthur deludes himself into believing.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2024
OCD deludes you into thinking that you can protect yourself with an ironclad grip over your reality, but that’s impossible.
From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2023
But maybe it’s impossible to separate the reckless carnival barker who deludes himself and others from the bold ideas that really are helping to change the world for the better.
From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2021
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
It is not individuals who are to blame, but the general movement of opinion which deludes and deceives them—a movement for which society in general is culpable.
From Sophisms of the Protectionists by Horace White
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
“Are they bigots? Are they deluded in thinking that they are subjected to unfair competition?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 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
“Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
It comes with the territory and anyone who thinks it doesn't is deluding themselves.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2025
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
“Don’t be a fool, human. You’re deluding yourself. Mud technology is eons behind ours. There is no way to escape the time-field.”
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
