wile
[ wahyl ]
/ waɪl /
Save This Word!
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.
SYNONYMS FOR wile
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Origin of wile
1125–75; (noun) Middle English; late Old English wil, perhaps <Old Norse vēl artifice, earlier *wihl-
synonym study for wile
1, 2. See trick.
OTHER WORDS FROM wile
outwile, verb (used with object), out·wiled, out·wil·ing.WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wile
while, wileDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for wile
British Dictionary definitions for wile
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