deceive
verb (used with object)
to mislead by a false appearance or statement; delude.
were deceiving
-
past progressiveof deceive.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Investors returning from the Labor Day break could be forgiven for wondering if their eyes were deceiving them, but yes, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were significantly worse than the S&P 500.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
According to documents obtained by ProPublica, Intuit executives knew they were deceiving customers by advertising free services that were not in fact free to everyone.
From Seattle Times ● May 4, 2022
Jeanise Jones, the woman hired as Tutar’s babysitter, was extremely kind to you — did you feel you were deceiving her?
From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2020
Wes Craven, the director, looked preppy, wearing Ralph Lauren and chinos, but looks were deceiving as he had a visionary mind.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 23, 2019
Maybe my eyes were deceiving me, but I swear the skin of his upper torso was covered with patches of green moss.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
