deceived; deceiving
1
: to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid
deceiving customers about the condition of the cars
bluffing at poker in order to deceive the other players
2
archaic
: ensnare
… he it was whose guile … deceived the mother of mankind …—
John Milton
John Milton3
a
obsolete
: to be false to
You have deceived our trust …—Shakespeare
Shakespeare
b
archaic
: to fail to fulfill
… nor are my hopes deceived.—John Dryden
John Dryden4
archaic
: to while away
These occupations oftentimes deceived the listless hour …—William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth5
obsolete
: cheat
… deceived me of a good sum of money …—William Oldys
William Oldys
: to make someone believe something that is not true : to practice deceit
also
: to give a false impression
appearances can deceive
deceiver
noun
Examples of deceive in a Sentence
Her parents punished her for trying to deceive them.
He was accused of deceiving the customer about the condition of the car.
People who think they can eat whatever they want without harming their health are deceiving themselves.
Remember that appearances can deceive—just because something looks good doesn't mean it is good.
Recent Examples on the Web
But as, as the brilliant evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller notes, our capacities to judge competence have evolved, so too have our capacities to deceive others about it.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
And Ken claims to be a man of faith but uses fake Uber accounts to meet his girlfriend and deceive his family.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Augusta National will quickly expose even the most microscopic weakness in one’s game with its winding fairways and deceiving putting surfaces.
—Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
As outlined above, Santos has lied, deceived, and defrauded for years.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
And Ken claims to be a man of faith but uses fake Uber accounts to meet his girlfriend and deceive his family.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Augusta National will quickly expose even the most microscopic weakness in one’s game with its winding fairways and deceiving putting surfaces.
—Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
As outlined above, Santos has lied, deceived, and defrauded for years.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceive
Cite this Entry
“Deceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deceive. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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