wile

[ wahyl ]

/ waɪl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wile ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a trick, artifice, or stratagem meant to fool, trap, or entice; device.

wiles, artful or beguiling behavior.

deceitful cunning; trickery.

verb (used with object), wiled, wil·ing.

to beguile, entice, or lure (usually followed by away, from, into, etc.): The music wiled him from his study.

Verb Phrases

wile away, to spend or pass (time), especially in a leisurely or pleasurable fashion: to wile away the long winter nights.

Nearby words

wildlands, wildlife, wildling, wildly, wildwood, wile, wiles, wilfred, wilfrid, wilful, wilfully

Origin of wile

1125–75; (noun) Middle English; late Old English wil, perhaps < Old Norse vēl artifice, earlier *wihl-

SYNONYMS FOR wile

1, 2 deception, contrivance, maneuver. See trick.

3 chicanery, fraud.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wile ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsout·wile, verb (used with object), out·wiled, out·wil·ing.

Can be confusedwhile wile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wiles

Wiles initially denied that he had performed as Mona Sinclair to the Winston-Salem Journal before eventually coming clean.
From Drag Queen To GOP Candidate|Ben Jacobs|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For Wiles, appearing in Web series has been an enriching experience.
Introducing ‘School of Thrones’: ‘Game of Thrones’ Parody Web Series|Molly Taylor|March 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the race to snatch children from the tightening noose around the Warsaw ghetto, she must use all her wiles.
The Female 'Schindler'|Kati Marton|April 18, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The neocons and their allies have lost their administration but not their agenda or their wiles.
Obama's Sixties Flashback|Danny Goldberg|January 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST

But truth be told, women have used their wiles and charms to get ahead for years.
My Sugar Daddy|Melissa Beech|November 30, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Large, robust, and full of wiles, the great crabs are a very combative race.
The Sea|Jules Michelet
If you are a fisherman you impute all sorts of wiles to the fish.
Behind the Mirrors|Clinton W. Gilbert
"I wish you a good journey," said Wiles, as he drove from the shed as Bill entered.
The Story of a Mine|Bret Harte
It was a long chase; for the old grey boar was speedy, cunning, and a master of wiles.
The Jungle Girl|Gordon Casserly
The plot worked; Francis was fascinated, falling an easy prey to the wiles of the wanton Anne.
Women of Modern France (Illustrated)|Hugo Paul Thieme (1870-1940)

British Dictionary definitions for wiles

wile

/ (waɪl) /

noun

trickery, cunning, or craftiness

(usually plural) an artful or seductive trick or ploy

verb

(tr) to lure, beguile, or entice

Word Origin for wile

C12: from Old Norse vel craft; probably related to Old French wīle, Old English wīgle magic. See guile

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

Word Origin and History for wiles

wile

mid-12c., wil "wile, trick," perhaps from Old North French *wile (Old French guile), or directly from a Scandinavian source (cf. Old Norse vel "trick, craft, fraud," vela "defraud"). Perhaps ultimately related to Old English wicca "wizard" (see Wicca). Lighter sense of "amorous or playful trick" is from c.1600. Wily is attested from c.1300.

wile

noun

verb (used with object), wiled, wil·ing.

Verb Phrases

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of wile

Examples from the Web for wiles

British Dictionary definitions for wiles

wile

noun

verb

Word Origin for wile

Word Origin and History for wiles

wile