trickery

American  

[trik-uh-ree] / ˈtrɪk ə ri /

noun

plural

trickeries

1. the use or practice of tricks or stratagems to deceive; artifice; deception.

2. a trick used to deceive.

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trickery British  

/ ˈtrɪkərɪ /

noun

1. the practice or an instance of using tricks

   he obtained the money by trickery

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Related Words

See duplicity.

Etymology

Origin of trickery

First recorded in 1790–1800; trick + -ery

Explanation

When tricks of any kind are used to fool or deceive someone, especially for financial gain, that's trickery. If you suspect that a cute kid has scammed you out of twenty dollars, you have every right to accuse him of trickery. Trickery is using pretense or sleight of hand or fast talking to cheat a person out of some amount of money, the way a card sharp or a con man might do. The earliest use of trick was in this negative sense — a mean ruse or cheat. Trickery simply adds the Middle English ery to the end to form a new noun.

Example Sentences

His coordinators, who have stayed with him across four different schools since 2016, don’t rely on trickery or exotic blitzes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 10, 2026

Because it’s not just the EU trade commissioner complaining about trickery.,

From Slate • Jul. 14, 2025

Indeed, in the 1950s, a magician from New York named John Mulholland was secretly contracted with the agency to write a manual for Cold War spies on trickery and deception.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2025

Playing as both an attacking midfielder and a wide forward, Kirby has entertained with trickery, creativity and unpredictability ever since.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2025

The next day the hunter performed his trickery and lured the herd into an open ing.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Related Words

• chicanery
• deceit
• dishonesty
• razzle-dazzle
• scam
• shell game
• stunt