deceit

noun de·ceit \ di-ˈsēt \

Definition of deceit

1 :the act of causing someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid :the act or practice of deceiving :deception

achieving one's goals through a web of deceit

2 :an attempt or device to deceive :trick

Her excuse turned out to be a deceit.

3 :the quality of being dishonest or misleading :the quality of being deceitful :deceitfulness

… far from deceit or guile.
—John Milton

See deceit defined for English-language learners

See deceit defined for kids

Examples of deceit in a Sentence

a rise to power that was marked by treachery and deceit
she's completely free of deceit

Recent Examples of deceit from the Web

Pardon our French, but the new term in American politics might very well be Trump L’oeil — that is, the unartful deceits of the president, his sons, his staff and his apologists.

— dan rodricks, baltimoresun.com, "Roughly Speaking podcast: Trump l'oeil, unartful deceits of a surreal presidency (episode 274)," 17 July 2017
Mitch McConnell enjoyed great success with his strategy of deceit and cynicism during the Obama years.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Insurers, Governors Join Ranks of People Who Hate the GOP Health Care Bill," 15 July 2017
No wonder that the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations had few answers to North Korea’s serial lying and deceit about its nuclear intentions.

— victor davis hanson, National Review, "West Can Neither Live with nor Take Out North Korean Nukes," 13 July 2017
Lying is part of being human, as National Geographic said in a cover story about the origins of human deceit and its adaptations.

— fredrick kunkle, Washington Post, "Coming to an airport near you someday: a machine that can tell if you’re lying," 27 June 2017
The facts unambiguously point to defendants’ deceit, self-dealing and fraud, which demand to be exposed.

— melody chiu, PEOPLE.com, "Casey Kasem’s Adult Children Fire Back After Widow Jean Accuses Them of Negligence and Fraud in Wrongful Death Lawsuit," 22 June 2017
Indeed, this year's Shakespeare in the Park production, produced by the New York's Public Theater, puts a present-day twist on the ancient tale of power, deceit and rebellion: The backdrop includes American icons and images of past presidents.

— chris moody, CNN, "'Trump-like' 'Julius Caesar' stirs debate," 10 June 2017
Ultimately, despite all their layers of drama and deceit, the characters' lives still at least vaguely resembled those of the series' viewers.

— craig tomashoff, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Night Of' Writer on the Benefits of Fewer Episodes in Tackling Social Issues," 9 June 2017
In the last instance, Philby is driven by the incurable drug of deceit itself.

— philip kerr, New York Times, "Two Brothers Are Assets and Liabilities in Joseph Kanon’s Spy Novel," 2 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of deceit

Middle English deceite, from Anglo-French, from Latin decepta, feminine of deceptus, past participle of decipere — see deceive

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

deceit Synonyms

DECEIT Defined for English Language Learners

deceit

noun

Definition of deceit for English Language Learners

: dishonest behavior : behavior that is meant to fool or trick someone

DECEIT Defined for Kids

deceit

noun de·ceit \ di-ˈsēt \

Definition of deceit for Students

1 :the act or practice of making someone believe something that is not true :deception

The villain used deceit to further his evil plan.

2 :a statement or act that is meant to fool or trick someone

We saw through her deceit.

3 :the quality of being dishonest

Law Dictionary

deceit

noun de·ceit

legal Definition of deceit

:deliberate and misleading concealment, false declaration, or artifice :deception

theft by deceit

; also :the tort of committing or carrying out deceit

an action for deceit

— see also fraud, misrepresentation

Learn More about deceit

See words that rhyme with deceit Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for deceit Spanish Central: Translation of deceit Nglish: Translation of deceit for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of deceit for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up deceit? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

deceit

Definition of deceit

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of deceit in a Sentence

Recent Examples of deceit from the Web

Origin and Etymology of deceit

deceit Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

DECEIT Defined for English Language Learners

deceit

Definition of deceit for English Language Learners

DECEIT Defined for Kids

deceit

Definition of deceit for Students

Law Dictionary

deceit

legal Definition of deceit

Learn More about deceit

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Exceptions Quiz III

The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

Trending: McCain: Half-Baked, 'Spurious' Nationalism

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066