deception

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noun de·cep·tion \ di-ˈsep-shən \

Definition of deception

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

resorting to falsehood and deception

used deception to leak the classified information

b :the fact or condition of being deceived

the deception of his audience

2 :something that deceives :trick

fooled by a scam artist's clever deception

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deceptional

play \-shə-nəl\ adjective

See deception defined for English-language learners

See deception defined for kids

Examples of deception in a Sentence

She accuses the company of willful deception in its advertising.
His many deceptions did not become known until years after he died.

Recent Examples of deception from the Web

Those attacks were followed by misinformation and deception — the PP eventually had to admit that al-Qaeda, not ETA, was behind the attacks.

— laia balcells, Washington Post, "Half a million marched this weekend in Barcelona. Do terror attacks make people more politically engaged?," 28 Aug. 2017
The Royals hope the move will create more deception in the delivery and help hide the ball from hitters.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "Royals’ Brandon Maurer has dominant stuff. He’s still looking for results to match," 25 Aug. 2017
Listening to Taylor Swift's 2007 Christmas album, Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection Trolling Reddit for conspiracy theories about Sasquatch Archery Seriously, any of these options are better than deception.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "Yolanda Hadid Puts the Rumor That Gigi Hadid Is Pregnant to Rest," 3 Aug. 2017
A leak is an act of deception; deceivers can’t be trusted by either party in the long run.

— The Hive, "The Simple Reason Scaramucci’s War on Leakers Is Doomed," 28 July 2017
The more direct cause of the appointment of a special counsel was the unceremonious firing of FBI director James Comey, and the deception surrounding it — which was a mess largely of Trump’s own making.

— the editors, National Review, "The President Is Treating His Attorney General Shamefully," 25 July 2017
Burns was charged with first-degree theft by deception in the incident and posted a $7,500 bond on Tuesday evening.

— prescotte stokes iii, AL.com, "A former State Farm insurance agent in Mobile accused of stealing over $20,000," 20 July 2017
Manaea's release-point deception and late action of his various pitches led to relatively few good swings against him.

— dennis manoloff, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Indians odoriferous at Oakland Athletics: DMan ranks Games 1-162 (thru 90)," 17 July 2017
The SPLC is using its speech to inflict harm, to express its own form of hate, and to spread misinformation and deception throughout the land.

— david french, National Review, "Media Beware: The Southern Poverty Law Center Has Become a Dangerous Joke," 13 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of deception

Middle English decepcioun, from Anglo-French deception, from Late Latin deception-, deceptio, from Latin decipere to deceive

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First Known Use: 15th century

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deception Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of deception

deception, fraud, double-dealing, subterfuge, trickery mean the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives. deception may or may not imply blameworthiness, since it may suggest cheating or merely tactical resource.

- magicians are masters of deception

fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice.

- indicted for fraud

double-dealing suggests treachery or at least action contrary to a professed attitude.

- a go-between suspected of double-dealing

subterfuge suggests the adoption of a stratagem or the telling of a lie in order to escape guilt or to gain an end.

- obtained the papers by subterfuge

trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat.

- resorted to trickery to gain their ends

DECEPTION Defined for English Language Learners

deception

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noun

Definition of deception for English Language Learners

: the act of making someone believe something that is not true : the act of deceiving someone
: an act or statement intended to make people believe something that is not true

DECEPTION Defined for Kids

deception

play

noun de·cep·tion \ di-ˈsep-shən \

Definition of deception for Students

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

Magicians are masters of deception.

2 :¹trick 1 His clever deception fooled me.

Law Dictionary

deception

play

noun de·cep·tion \ di-ˈsep-shən \

legal Definition of deception

1 :an act of deceiving

2 :something that deceives :deceit

Learn More about deception

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

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deception

Definition of deception

deceptional

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Examples of deception in a Sentence

Recent Examples of deception from the Web

Origin and Etymology of deception

deception Synonyms

Synonyms

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DECEPTION Defined for English Language Learners

deception

Definition of deception for English Language Learners

DECEPTION Defined for Kids

deception

Definition of deception for Students

Law Dictionary

deception

legal Definition of deception

Learn More about deception

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