cheat

verb \ ˈchēt \

|Updated on: 22 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: cheat in a Sentence

Definition of cheat

cheated; cheating; cheats

transitive verb

1 : to deprive of something valuable by the use of deceit or fraud

cheated the elderly couple out of their property

2 : to influence or lead by deceit, trick, or artifice

a young man who cheated young women into marrying him when he was already married

3 : to elude or thwart by or as if by outwitting

cheat death

intransitive verb

1 a : to practice fraud or trickery

denied the accusation that he cheated

b : to violate rules dishonestly

cheat at cards

cheating on a test

2 : to be sexually unfaithful —usually used with on

was cheating on his wife

3 : to position oneself defensively near a particular area in anticipation of a play in that area

the shortstop was cheating toward second base

—

cheater

noun

See cheat defined for English-language learners

See cheat defined for kids

Examples of cheat in a Sentence

The players were accused of cheating.
I had to cheat in order to solve the puzzle.
The store cheats its customers through false advertising.
They cheated him out of a fair deal.
a heroin addict who has cheated death many times

Recent Examples of cheat from the Web

Volkswagen AG has agreed to pay a $1.2-billion fine imposed by German prosecutors for cheating to get around diesel-emissions regulations, closing one chapter in a 3-year-old crisis even as new developments arise.

— christoph rauwald, latimes.com, "Volkswagen agrees to pay $1.2-billion fine as diesel-cheating crisis grinds on," 13 June 2018
With the track honing in on infidelity, this could be a reference to Chris Rock cheating on his ex-wife with actress Kerry Washington, who happens to star in ABC's Scandal and is now married to ex-NFLer Nnamdi Asomugha.

— michael saponara, Billboard, "Rounding Up Every Celebrity Kanye West Shouted Out on 'Ye'," 1 June 2018
Two Tetra Tech employees have pleaded guilty to cheating when testing soil at the site and have been sentenced to eight months each in prison.

— j.k. dineen, San Francisco Chronicle, "Officials endorse safety at San Francisco Shipyard development site," 30 May 2018
The source of the largesse earmarked for electric and clean vehicle technology comes from a fine imposed by the EPA on Volkswagen AG for cheating on diesel emissions testing.

— cherise threewitt, chicagotribune.com, "VW diesel settlement money spurs controversy in Illinois," 10 May 2018
Diesel-car sales in Europe slumped after Volkswagen admitted to cheating on emission tests in 2015, and demand for such models is set to fall further as regulators put tougher standards into place starting 2020.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Roche Bros. unveils grab-and-go meal kit; Purple Carrot gets $4m investment," 7 May 2018
Last year, Hart admitted to cheating on his wife, Eniko Parrish.

— katie reilly, Time, "Kevin Hart's Former Friend Has Been Charged With Trying to Extort Him," 2 May 2018
How Peter was desperately trying to dissociate when Brittany played everyone the tape of Jax admitting to cheating on her with Faith.

— kelly conaboy, The Cut, "The 43 Best Moments From Season 6 of Vanderpump Rules," 30 Apr. 2018
Khloe Kardashian gives birth, forgives baby daddy Tristan Thompson for cheating, report says.

— Fox News, "FOX NEWS FIRST: Comey gets personal with Trump; Hearing on Cohen raid scheduled in New York court," 13 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of cheat

²cheat

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1590

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

cheat Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of cheat

cheat, cozen, defraud, swindle mean to get something by dishonesty or deception. cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

- cheated me out of a dollar

cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose.

- always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

defraud stresses depriving one of his or her rights and usually connotes deliberate perversion of the truth.

- defrauded of her inheritance by an unscrupulous lawyer

swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

- swindled of their savings by con artists

cheat

noun

Definition of cheat

1 : the act or an instance of fraudulently deceiving : deception, fraud

His financial activity turned out to be a great cheat.

2 or cheat code : a code (such as a button combination or password) that activates a hidden feature or capability in a computer or video game

In fact, some game levels are so tough that I had to resort to cheats to get through.
—Peter Cohen

Most people think that using a cheat code is the only way to earn a dishonest reward …
—Christopher Breen

3 : one that cheats : pretender, deceiver

is a liar and a cheat

tax cheats

[probably from a deceptive resemblance to grain]

a : chess 1

b : cheatgrass

5 : the obtaining of property from another by an intentional active distortion of the truth

See cheat defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of cheat from the Web

Everyone is different and no one has the cheat codes.

— nerisha penrose, Billboard, "Read the Foreword Drake Penned For J. Prince's 'The Art & Science of Respect'," 7 June 2018
Toni Reavis: Is facial recognition technology the key to catching drug cheats.

— ken goe, OregonLive.com, "On Sam Kendricks, Hayward Field nostalgia and the Pre Classic: Oregon track & field rundown," 26 May 2018
Some nutritionists even say a cheat day during a diet is not bad thing.

— cassie armstrong, OrlandoSentinel.com, "National Eat What You Want Day: How to celebrate in Central Florida," 11 May 2018
Cinco de Mayo is this weekend, which means many of us are putting a cheat day on the calendar and popping open a bag of tortilla chips.

— NBC News, "A healthy (and super easy) guacamole recipe for Cinco de Mayo," 3 May 2018
Arun Advani of Warwick University analysed self-assessment tax records provided by the British government, and showed that tax audits made money for the government by scaring tax cheats into improving tax compliance in future.

— The Economist, "Government data are ever more important to economic research," 26 May 2018
With Capela in, the Rockets can run the truest version of their offense, which spreads the floor around an elite shooter/passer/ball-handler, with a willing roller who can dominate at the rim if the defense cheats.

— rohan nadkarni, SI.com, "The Spectre of Stephen Curry's Injury Hangs Over Western Conference Finals," 14 May 2018
Most notably, there was no privacy: Everyone knew who the drunk, the cheat, or the adulterer was.

— antonio garcía martínez, WIRED, "How Facebook Binds, and Shatters, Communities," 11 May 2018
Mention the cheat code AMIGOS and get a $5 game card at the door.

— weldon b. johnson, azcentral, "2018 Cinco de Mayo events in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Sedona and more," 1 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of cheat

earlier cheat forfeited property, from Middle English chet escheat, short for eschete — more at escheat

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1615

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

cheat Synonyms

Synonyms

bilk, bilker, cheater, chiseler (or chiseller), confidence man, cozener, defrauder, dodger, finagler, hoaxer, scammer, shark, sharper, swindler, trickster;

Related Words

double-crosser, double-dealer;

bluffer, charlatan, fake, faker, humbug, impostor (or imposter), mountebank, phony (also phoney), pretender, quack, ringer, sham;

adventurer, fox, knave, prankster, rascal, rogue;

slicker, smoothy (or smoothie), wheeler-dealer;

plotter, schemer, sneak, sneaker;

CHEAT Defined for English Language Learners

cheat

verb

Definition of cheat for English Language Learners

: to break a rule or law usually to gain an advantage at something
: to take something from (someone) by lying or breaking a rule
: to prevent (someone) from having something that he or she deserves or was expecting to get