beguile

verb be·guile \ bi-ˈgī(-ə)l , bē- \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: beguile in a Sentence

Editor's Note: The Beguiling History of beguile

Definition of beguile

beguiled; beguiling

transitive verb

1 : hoodwink

beguiled her classmates into doing the work for her

2 : to engage the interest of by or as if by guile

His seductive voice beguiled the audience.

3 : to lead by deception

beguiled into ambush

4 : to while away especially by some agreeable occupation; also : divert 2

The seven poems were written to beguile the tedium of a sea voyage.
—Vernon Louis Parrington

intransitive verb

: to deceive by wiles

had intended to beguile

—

beguilement

play \-ˈgī(-ə)l-mənt\ noun

—

beguiler

play \-ˈgī-lər\ noun

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Examples of beguile in a Sentence

She was cunning enough to beguile her classmates into doing the work for her.
They were beguiled into thinking they'd heard the whole story.
Almost everything in the quaint little town beguiles, from its architecture to its art to its people.
He beguiled the audience with his smooth and seductive voice.

Recent Examples of beguile from the Web

Her own is alive to Florida’s lush, beguiling beauty.

— The Economist, "Lauren Groff’s short stories pulse with hidden malevolence," 21 June 2018
For some urban planners, the strategy is beguiling.

— The Economist, "China is trying to turn itself into a country of 19 super-regions," 21 June 2018
Like flowers, which are also fleeting reproductive bodies, mushrooms have beguiled us through the ages.

— adrian higgins, sacbee, "Spend time with mushroom experts – they’ll grow on you," 8 June 2018
The other beguiling women walking the fake red carpet, like Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Rihanna (the empress of the gala) are part of the cast.

— refinery29.com, "All The Glamorous Celebrity Cameos In Ocean’s 8," 8 June 2018
Daniel Mengden, a Houston native, with an old timey windup and matching twirled mustache, had beguiled the Astros for 6 2/3 innings.

— hunter atkins, Houston Chronicle, "Astros cap sweep of Athletics with help from bottom of lineup," 9 May 2018
Still, the relatively small orchestra and ensemble under the musical direction of Roberta Duchak make a beautiful sound, and both Otis Sallid’s choreography and Scott Davis’ modestly beguiling set have secrets, slowly revealed.

— chris jones, chicagotribune.com, "Drury Lane’s ‘South Pacific’ has Broadway stars and layers of storytelling," 15 Apr. 2018
He was clearly beguiled by the meeting of Mr. Kim and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, which was replete with the images of two long-estranged neighbors making peace.

— New York Times, "Trump Exults in Release of Prisoners and a Date Next Month With Kim Jong-un," 10 May 2018
The Astros continued to climb up the rankings of driving in runners from scoring position with two outs, a situation that has beguiled them more than last season.

— hunter atkins, Houston Chronicle, "George Springer's RBIs help secure Astros' victory over A's," 9 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'beguile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Beguiling History of beguile

A number of English words have traveled a rather curious path from meanings related to deception or trickery to something less unwelcome. A prime example is beguile, which first appeared in English around the 13th century in the sense “to lead or draw by deception.” For the next several centuries, most of the senses of the verb had to do, in one manner or another, with deceiving. Around the time of Shakespeare, however, the word took on a new sense, “to charm.” In a similar vein, fun was first recorded at the end of the 17th century as a verb meaning “to hoax or trick (someone).” It wasn’t until the middle of the 19th century that it began to be used as an adjective indicating that something was enjoyable. Amuse likewise started its life as a verb meaning “to divert the attention of (as from the truth or one's real intent).”

Origin and Etymology of beguile

Middle English bigilen, beguilen, from bi-, be- be- + gile guile or gilen "to deceive, cheat", borrowed from Old French guiler, derivative of guile

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

See Words from the same year

beguile Synonyms

Phrases

do a number on, lead one down the garden path (also lead one up the garden path), pull one's leg, pull the wool over one's eyes;

Synonym Discussion of beguile

deceive, mislead, delude, beguile mean to lead astray or frustrate usually by underhandedness. deceive implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness.