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deceive - 5 dictionary results

de⋅ceive

  [di-seev] verb, -ceived, -ceiv⋅ing.
Use deceive in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to mislead by a false appearance or statement; delude: They deceived the enemy by disguising the destroyer as a freighter.
2. to be unfaithful to (one's spouse or lover).
3. Archaic. to while away (time).
–verb (used without object)
4. to mislead or falsely persuade others; practice deceit: an engaging manner that easily deceives.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME deceiven < OF deceivre < L dēcipere, lit., to ensnare, equiv. to dē- de- + -cipere, comb. form of capere to take

Related forms:
de⋅ceiv⋅a⋅ble⋅ness, de⋅ceiv⋅a⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun
de⋅ceiv⋅a⋅bly, adverb
de⋅ceiv⋅er, noun
de⋅ceiv⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. cozen, dupe, fool, gull, hoodwink, trick, defraud, outwit, entrap, ensnare, betray. See cheat.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To deceive
de·ceive   (dĭ-sēv')   
v.   de·ceived, de·ceiv·ing, de·ceives

v.   tr.
  1. To cause to believe what is not true; mislead.
  2. Archaic To catch by guile; ensnare.
v.   intr.
  1. To practice deceit.
  2. To give a false impression: appearances can deceive.

[Middle English deceiven, from Old French deceveir, from Vulgar Latin *dēcipēre, from Latin dēcipere, to ensnare, deceive : dē-, de- + capere, to seize; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]
de·ceiv'a·ble adj., de·ceiv'er n., de·ceiv'ing·ly adv.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to lead another into error, danger, or a disadvantageous position by underhand means. Deceive involves the deliberate misrepresentation of the truth: "We are inclined to believe those whom we do not know, because they have never deceived us" (Samuel Johnson).
Betray implies treachery: "When you betray somebody else, you also betray yourself" (Isaac Bashevis Singer).
Mislead means to lead in the wrong direction or into error of thought or action: "My manhood, long misled by wandering fires,/Followed false lights" (John Dryden).
Beguile suggests deceiving by means of charm or allure: They beguiled unwary investors with tales of overnight fortunes.
To delude is to mislead the mind or judgment. The government deluded the public about the dangers of low-level radiation.
Dupe implies playing upon another's susceptibilities or naiveté: The shoppers were duped by false advertising.
Hoodwink refers to deluding by trickery: It is difficult to hoodwink a smart lawyer.
Bamboozle means to delude by the use of such tactics as hoaxing or artful persuasion: "Perhaps if I wanted to be understood or to understand I would bamboozle myself into belief, but I am a reporter" (Graham Greene).
Double-cross implies the betrayal of a confidence or the willful breaking of a pledge: The thief double-crossed his accomplice.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Deceive

De*ceive"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deceived; p. pr. & vb. n. Deceiving.] [OE. deceveir, F. d['e]cevoir, fr. L. decipere to catch, insnare, deceive; de- + capere to take, catch. See Capable, and cf. Deceit, Deception.]

1. To lead into error; to cause to believe what is false, or disbelieve what is true; to impose upon; to mislead; to cheat; to disappoint; to delude; to insnare.

Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. --2 Tim. iii. 13.

Nimble jugglers that deceive the eye. --Shak.

What can 'scape the eye Of God all-seeing, or deceive his heart? --Milton.

2. To beguile; to amuse, so as to divert the attention; to while away; to take away as if by deception.

These occupations oftentimes deceived The listless hour. --Wordsworth.

3. To deprive by fraud or stealth; to defraud. [Obs.]

Plant fruit trees in large borders, and set therein fine flowers, but thin and sparingly, lest they deceive the trees. --Bacon.

Syn: Deceive, Delude, Mislead.

Usage: Deceive is a general word applicable to any kind of misrepresentation affecting faith or life. To delude, primarily, is to make sport of, by deceiving, and is accomplished by playing upon one's imagination or credulity, as by exciting false hopes, causing him to undertake or expect what is impracticable, and making his failure ridiculous. It implies some infirmity of judgment in the victim, and intention to deceive in the deluder. But it is often used reflexively, indicating that a person's own weakness has made him the sport of others or of fortune; as, he deluded himself with a belief that luck would always favor him. To mislead is to lead, guide, or direct in a wrong way, either willfully or ignorantly.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : deceive
Spanish: engañar, defraudar, mentir,
German: täuschen,
Japanese: だます
More Translations »

deceive 
c.1300, from O.Fr. deceveir, from L. decipere "to ensnare, take in," from de- "from" or pejorative + capere "to take" (see capable).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: de·ceive
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: de·ceived; de·ceiv·ing
transitive verb : to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid intransitive verb : to practice deceit —compare DEFRAUD, MISLEAD
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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