trick

[ trik ]

/ trɪk /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: trick / tricked / tricker / trickest on Thesaurus.com

noun

a crafty or underhanded device, maneuver, stratagem, or the like, intended to deceive or cheat; artifice; ruse; wile.

an optical illusion: It must have been some visual trick caused by the flickering candlelight.

a roguish or mischievous act; practical joke; prank: She likes to play tricks on her friends.

a mean, foolish, or childish action.

a clever or ingenious device or expedient; adroit technique: the tricks of the trade.

the art or knack of doing something skillfully: You seem to have mastered the trick of making others laugh.

a clever or dexterous feat intended to entertain, amuse, etc.: He taught his dog some amazing tricks.

a feat of magic or legerdemain: card tricks.

a behavioral peculiarity; trait; habit; mannerism.

a period of duty or turn; stint; tour of duty: I relieved the pilot after he had completed his trick at the wheel.

Cards.

the group or set of cards played and won in one round.
a point or scoring unit.
a card that is a potential winner.Compare honor trick.

Informal. a child or young girl: a pretty little trick.

Slang.

a prostitute's customer.
a sexual act between a prostitute and a customer.

Heraldry.

a preliminary sketch of a coat of arms.
engraver's trick.

adjective

of, pertaining to, characterized by, or involving tricks: trick shooting.

designed or used for tricks: a trick chair.

(of a joint) inclined to stiffen or weaken suddenly and unexpectedly: a trick shoulder.

verb (used with object)

to deceive by trickery.

Heraldry. to indicate the tinctures of (a coat of arms) with engravers tricks.

to cheat or swindle (usually followed by out of): to trick someone out of an inheritance.

to beguile by trickery (usually followed by into).

verb (used without object)

to practice trickery or deception; cheat.

to play tricks; trifle (usually followed by with).

Slang. to engage in sexual acts for hire.

Verb Phrases

trick out, Informal. to embellish or adorn with or as if with ornaments or other attention-getting devices.

OTHER WORDS FOR trick

1 deception.

See synonyms for trick on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about trick

do / turn the trick, to achieve the desired effect or result: Another turn of the pliers should do the trick.

turn a trick, Slang. (of a prostitute) to engage in a sexual act with a customer.

Origin of trick

1375–1425; late Middle English trik (noun) <Old North French trique deceit, derivative of trikier to deceive <Vulgar Latin *triccāre, for Latin trīcārī to play tricks

synonym study for trick

1. Trick , artifice , ruse , stratagem , wile are terms for crafty or cunning devices that are intended to deceive. Trick , the general term, refers usually to an underhanded act designed to cheat someone, but it sometimes refers merely to a pleasurable deceiving of the senses: to win by a trick. Like trick , but to a greater degree, artifice emphasizes the cleverness, ingenuity, or cunning with which the proceeding is devised: an artifice of diabolical ingenuity. Ruse and stratagem emphasize the purpose for which the trick is designed; ruse is the more general term of the two, and stratagem sometimes implies a more elaborate procedure or a military application: He gained entrance by a ruse. His stratagem gave them command of the hill. W ile emphasizes the disarming effect of the trick upon those who are deceived: His wiles charmed them into trusting him. 18. See cheat.

OTHER WORDS FROM trick

tricker, nountrick·ing·ly, adverbouttrick, verb (used with object)un·tricked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use trick in a sentence

Another trick to make your content go viral is to create a sense of urgency by putting a time limit on the product or service you’re trying to sell.
Harness the power of integrated CRO and social media|Ricky Wang|November 17, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Another way to trick the quarterback is to play split field coverages, with one type on one side of the field and another on the other side.
In effective pass coverage, what you see isn’t always what you get|Richard Johnson|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
Rahm’s successful trick shot was majestic, masterful and mesmerizing.
Jon Rahm’s pond-skipping hole-in-one at Augusta has been done before but was still incredible|Des Bieler|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
When you’re on the ground and engaged, they’re not going to be able to pull those kinds of political tricks on you.
Democrats lose ground with Latino voters in Florida and Texas, underscoring outreach missteps|Jose Del Real, Arelis Hernández|November 5, 2020|Washington Post

Falling back on childlike charm is not a new trick for Disney, which owns the Star Wars franchise.
What Makes Baby Yoda So Lovable? - Facts So Romantic|Morgan K. Hoke & Douglas K. Smit|November 4, 2020|Nautilus
Michelangelo tricked his patron about the David, but sometimes he was forcibly reminded who paid the bills.
Great Renaissance Art Thrived Amid Filth|Nick Romeo|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He tricked Beth into killing an innocent man for him in order to keep his own position at the hospital secure.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Crossed’: The Stage Is Now Set for a Bloody, Deadly Midseason Finale|Melissa Leon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sam Lutfi may have tricked Amanda Bynes into hospitalization.
Sam Lutfi Is Young Hollywood’s Most Infamous Svengali|Amy Zimmerman|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They apologized for making the video, and said they had been tricked into doing it.
Iran Court Sentences ‘Happy’ Dancers to 6 months and 91 Lashes|IranWire|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A group of bullies tricked an autistic boy into doing the popular Ice Bucket Challenge—only the bucket was full of human waste.
Ice Bucket Challenge Bullies Messed with the Wrong Internet|Elizabeth Heideman|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They were always too pretty, tricked out too finely, useless—those toys that are for show but which the Parisian does not buy.
The Nabob|Alphonse Daudet
He was furious moreover at having been tricked, and meditated bedlamite plans of vengeance.
Overland|John William De Forest
I need hardly say that Count Wodzinski's description is novelistically tricked out.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
The thought that he had been easily but cleverly tricked made his blood boil within him.
Uncle Sam's Boys as Lieutenants|H. Irving Hancock
My strong nature, my ideas, would work like poison in you; twice you have tricked me, twice have I overthrown you.
Z. Marcas|Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for trick

trick

/ (trɪk) /

noun

a deceitful, cunning, or underhand action or plan

a mischievous, malicious, or humorous action or plan; jokethe boys are up to their tricks again
(as modifier)a trick spider

an illusory or magical feat or device

a simple feat learned by an animal or person

an adroit or ingenious device; knacka trick of the trade

a behavioural trait, habit, or mannerism

a turn or round of duty or work

cards

a batch of cards containing one from each player, usually played in turn and won by the player or side that plays the card with the highest value
a card that can potentially win a trick

can't take a trick Australian slang to be consistently unsuccessful or unlucky

do the trick informal to produce the right or desired result

how's tricks? slang how are you?

turn a trick slang (of a prostitute) to gain a customer

verb

to defraud, deceive, or cheat (someone), esp by means of a trick

Derived forms of trick

tricker, nountrickless, adjective

Word Origin for trick

C15: from Old Northern French trique, from trikier to deceive, from Old French trichier, ultimately from Latin trīcārī to play tricks

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with trick

trick

In addition to the idioms beginning with trick

trick or treat
trick out
tricks of the trade

also see:

bag of tricks
confidence game (trick)
dirty tricks
do the trick
hat trick
how's tricks
not miss a trick
teach an old dog new tricks
that does it (the trick)
turn a trick
up to one's old tricks

trick

OTHER WORDS FOR trick

Idioms about trick

Origin of trick

synonym study for trick

OTHER WORDS FROM trick

Words related to trick

How to use trick in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for trick

Derived forms of trick

Word Origin for trick

Other Idioms and Phrases with trick