deception

noun

de·cep·tion | \di-ˈsep-shən

Definition of deception

1a : 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

Other Words from deception Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about deception

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Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

The combination of the President's silence and his deception of his aides had the effect of presenting a false view of events to the grand jury. — Aaron Blake, Washington Post, "Brett Kavanaugh, Trump and what the Starr Report says about impeachment, annotated," 11 July 2018 That all comes from a funky arm slot that adds to his deception. ... — Pete Grathoff, kansascity, "'A significant amount of talent.' National experts on Royals' first-day draft picks," 5 June 2018 Our self-deceptions have been shown to be quite changeable. — Steve Ayan, Scientific American, "10 Things You Don’t Know About Yourself," 15 May 2018 Upon her return, the suspect admitted to making up the injury and was charged with deception, falsification and obstructing official business. — Cheryl Higley, cleveland.com, "Man charged in child porn case: North Ridgeville police," 7 May 2018 Every day, the curators sought to contain the inferno of deception by dousing the blaze with journalistic sensibility, ensuring false and extremely skewed stories did not reach the trending topics list for the entire nation to see. — Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY, "How Facebook fired workers who blocked 'fake news' — 'After the Fact' book excerpt," 6 May 2018 Venality is age-old, but so is courage, and that of the ex-employees who blew the whistle on its deceptions is restorative — not least, Tyler Shultz, who staged failed interventions to break Holmes’ spell over his grandfather. — Stephen Phillips, SFChronicle.com, "New tech books: ‘Bad Blood,’ ‘Live Work Work Work Die,’ ‘The Efficiency Paradox’," 22 June 2018 It’s here that Alice, Charlotte, and the others perform their most athletic feats of romance, intellect, and self-deception. — K. Austin Collins, HWD, "Why We Still Love The Last Days of Disco," 29 May 2018 Never mind that our procrastination may only add to the chaos—any real procrastinator is well practiced in the art of self-deception. — Andrew Santella, Time, "The Real Reason You Procrastinate," 19 Mar. 2018

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.