feint
Americannoun
-
a movement made in order to deceive an adversary; an attack aimed at one place or point merely as a distraction from the real place or point of attack.
military feints; the feints of a skilled fencer.
-
a feigned or assumed appearance.
His air of approval was a feint to conceal his real motives.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to make a feint at; deceive with a feint.
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to make a false show of; simulate.
noun
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a mock attack or movement designed to distract an adversary, as in a military manoeuvre or in boxing, fencing, etc
-
a misleading action or appearance
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
feintsimple
-
feintssimple
-
have feintedperfect
-
has feintedperfect
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am feintingprogressive
-
are feintingprogressive
-
is feintingprogressive
-
have been feintingperfect progressive
-
has been feintingperfect progressive
Past
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feintedsimple
-
had feintedperfect
-
was feintingprogressive
-
were feintingprogressive
-
had been feintingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of feint
First recorded in 1670–80; from French feinte, from Old French feinte “fabrication,” noun use of feminine of feint “pretended,” past participle of feindre; see origin at feign
Explanation
Did you ever tell your parents you were going off to school, grabbed your book bag, and headed out the door...only to spend the rest of the day hanging out with your friends? Well, that was a feint, a super sneaky move designed to fool someone. Although military and political tactics are big on feints, their most common use is probably in sports — particularly boxing, where opponents are continually trying to fake each other out. As in Dundee's account of an Ali-Frazier match: "Ali feinted with a jab, and Frazier threw one of his own, missing." Not to be confused with faint, meaning "weak or feeble." However, a feint can be deliberately faint, as Ali knew and Frazier found out when the real right hook made contact.
Vocabulary lists containing feint
The Lightning Thief
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Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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The Hobbit
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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:
There is no strict definition of a stutter, but under Fifa rules, a player is allowed to stop or feint during the run-up as long as they don't do it directly before kicking the ball.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Again, no storming, no lunging, not even a feint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2025
Perhaps this is a feint in some grand art of the deal.
From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2025
Some bartenders pour you a drink then ignore you, circling back with the check and a feint at sincerity, hoping for a big tip.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2023
That was a feint, designed to catch the opponent offguard.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
War is filled with flopping, feints and trickery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
It was the culmination of a series of feints and bluffs in the preceding hours and days as the former reality TV star kept the world guessing.
From Barron's ● Feb. 28, 2026
In these situations, he would carry his team upfield using deceptive feints to create space from opponents pressing him.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025
Bud started upping the feints, forcing Willie to swing wide and hard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2023
Marcus feints left with his scim, and when Helene counters, he grins.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Politano turned provider two minutes before halftime as he sent Kvaratskhelia down the left and the winger cut inside, feinted and then squeezed a shot between Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò and the near post.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 21, 2023
The fight begun with both athletes showing patience as Volkanovski feinted and switched stances, while Makhachev looked for openings.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2023
At the end of the first half, Brown feinted a drive that rocked Ute defender Both Gach off balance before stepping back for a contested 22-foot three-pointer that splashed through the net as time expired.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2022
The Atlanta Hawks guard feinted left and then crossed over sharply to his right, settling into a comfortable pocket between two frozen Milwaukee Bucks defenders.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 24, 2021
Wielding their harmless foils, Hamlet and Laertes thrust and feinted with a mortal seriousness.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
The fight started with the Briton pushing forward, as he would throughout the following 25 minutes, feinting and landing leg kicks, while chants of "Colby, Colby" rung out around the arena.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2023
Bud snaked his way inside, feinting in the middle distance and eating some shots on the way in — but nothing that rattled him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2023
The senior pulled out to the elbow before feinting right, going left, dusting her defender and streaking to the goal.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 27, 2023
Moore for a 10-yard score — a pass made possible by Newton stepping up in the pocket, feinting a scramble to draw in the safety to leave Moore open.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 21, 2021
So she flourished it, feinting to right and left, not intending to hit him at all, and he didn’t move.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.
