trick

1 of 3

noun

ˈtrik 

1

a

: a crafty procedure or practice meant to deceive or defraud

b

: a mischievous act : prank

c

: a deceptive, dexterous, or ingenious feat

especially : one designed to puzzle or amuse

a juggler's tricks

d

: an indiscreet or childish action

2

a(1)

: a quick or artful way of getting a result : knack

the trick is to make it look natural

(2)

: an instance of getting a desired result

one small adjustment will do the trick

b

: a technical device (as of an art or craft)

the tricks of stage technique

3

a

: a delusive appearance especially when caused by art or legerdemain : an optical illusion

a mere trick of the light

b

: a habitual peculiarity of behavior or manner

a horse with the trick of shying

c

: a characteristic and identifying feature

a trick of speech

4

: the cards played in one round of a card game often used as a scoring unit

5

a

: a sexual act performed by a prostitute

turning tricks

also : john sense 2

b

: shift sense 4b(1)

c

: a trip taken as part of one's employment

d

: a turn of duty at the helm usually lasting for two hours

6

: an attractive child or woman

a cute little trick

trick

2 of 3

verb

tricked; tricking; tricks

transitive verb

: to deceive by cunning or artifice : cheat see also trick out

trick

3 of 3

adjective

1

a

: of or relating to or involving tricks or trickery

trick photography

trick dice

b

: skilled in or used for tricks

a trick horse

2

a

: somewhat defective and unreliable

a trick lock

b

: inclined to give way unexpectedly

a trick knee

3

: trig

Synonyms

Noun

• artifice
• device
• dodge
• fetch
• flimflam
• gambit
• gimmick
• jig
• juggle
• knack
• play
• ploy
• ruse
• scheme
• shenanigan
• sleight
• stratagem
• wile

Verb

• bamboozle
• beguile
• bluff
• buffalo
• burn
• catch
• con
• cozen
• deceive
• delude
• dupe
• fake out
• fool
• gaff
• gammon
• gull
• have
• have on [chiefly British]
• hoax
• hoodwink
• hornswoggle
• humbug
• juggle
• misguide
• misinform
• mislead
• snooker
• snow
• spoof
• string along
• suck in
• sucker
• take in

Choose the Right Synonym for trick

trick, ruse, stratagem, maneuver, artifice, wile, feint mean an indirect means to gain an end.

trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.

the tricks of the trade

ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.

the ruses of smugglers

stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.

the stratagem-filled game

maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.

last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy

artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention.

the clever artifices of the stage

wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.

used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself

feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.

a feint toward the enemy's left flank

Examples of trick in a Sentence

Noun

It was a trick to persuade her to give him money.

She enjoys playing tricks on her friends.

For his last trick, the magician made a rabbit disappear.

Verb

He tricked her by wearing a disguise.

you tricked me into thinking my ex wasn't coming to the party tonight

Adjective

a trick shot in pool

He has a trick knee.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Our Fall/Winter issue is already filled with exciting recipes, photos, tips and tricks, and valuable intel for anyone who loves to cook and eat. —Saveur Editors, Saveur, 25 Apr. 2024

While adding one to your space may seem relatively straightforward, there are a few essential tips and tricks to consider. —Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Apr. 2024

One of the most magical tricks that Generative AI technology has brought to us is the ability to quickly create impressive images with a simple line of text. —Bob O’Donnell, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024

Image: Mercedes-Benz AG Image: Mercedes-Benz AG The electric G-Wagen will come with a whole caravan of nifty circus tricks, including a tank turn (which Mercedes has branded its G-Turn) for sharper, on-axis rotations. —Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 24 Apr. 2024

There are a few tricks to making the most out of the trendy kitchen gadget No matter how little (or how much) counter space someone has, a lot of people make room for an air fryer. —Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024

It’s actually supposed to cool down over the next few days, which is just another one of those cruel tricks that the universe plays on everyone who lives here. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024

The polarizing clip, which has elicited reactions online ranging from humor to horror, is one of the tricks of Microsoft’s new AI technology called VASA-1. —Mallory Moench, TIME, 21 Apr. 2024

So after a little hemming and hawing and a lot of concern still that this was some sort of trick, Donn decided to engage, warily. —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024

Verb

Gift card scammers linked to Chinese criminal organizations trick their victims in many ways besides card draining. —Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 10 Apr. 2024

While tricking adult cells into becoming embryonic and beginning to grow again has been successful, practical difficulties make cloning very inefficient. —Jessica Dulong, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024

Birds fell silent and outdoor lights flickered on, tricked by the midday darkness and the sudden chill in the air. —Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2024

Advertisement Silva de Rodriguez, on the other hand, contends Calvo was the first to suggest employees were tricked. —Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024

Some supplements target older consumers, using disinformation to trick the uninformed. —Andrew Price, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

These are the technologies used by law enforcement and sometimes criminals to capture phone IDs and trick those phones into connecting to a copycat network, allowing calls and messages to be intercepted. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

The malicious tactic is intended to to trick iPhone users into handing over access to their Apple accounts, according to security journalist Brian Krebs. —Michael Kan, PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024

So without further ado, here are the five game-changing strategies that seemingly tricked my brain into loving my morning runs. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 22 Mar. 2024

Adjective

My idea was not to get too trick-sy with it, to keep it at a fairly simple visual level. —Corey S Powell, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2014

As Halloween approaches, investors seem fearful that good credit performance may be more trick than treat. —Telis Demos, WSJ, 21 Oct. 2022

If the high cost of it all is more trick than treat for you, here are several ways to turn your already smart home into a spook-tacularly genius haunted house. —Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2021

And arguably, given the variety of cask types used by the distillery, Angel’s Envy is actually a multi-trick pony. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 June 2021

The ‘00s are cool again, right? (Trick question: They, like Britney, have always been cool.) —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 23 June 2017

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English trikke, from Anglo-French *trik, from trikier to deceive, cheat, from Vulgar Latin *triccare, alteration of Latin tricari to behave evasively, shuffle, from tricae complications, trifles

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1631, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing trick

• confidence trick
• con trick
• dirty/mean/rotten trick
• do the trick
• hat trick
• never/not miss a trick
• odd trick
• one-trick pony
• parlor trick
• parlour trick
• play a trick on (someone)
• show/teach (someone) a trick or two
• trick into
• trick of the light
• trick of the/one's trade
• trick or treat
• trick out
• trick out of
• trick photography
• trick question
• try/use every trick in the book
• turn the trick

Kids Definition

trick

1 of 3 noun

ˈtrik 

1

a

: an action meant to deceive or cheat

b

: a mischievous act : prank

c

: an unwise or childish action

d

: a skillful or clever feat designed to puzzle or amuse

a juggler's tricks

2

: a habitual peculiarity of behavior or manner

a trick of speech

3

a

: a quick or artful way of getting a result : knack

the trick is to do it quickly

b

: an instance of getting a desired result

one small adjustment will do the trick

4

: a technical device (as of an art or craft)

tricks of the trade

5

: the cards played in one round of a card game

trick

2 of 3 verb

1

: to deceive with tricks : cheat

2

: to dress or decorate especially oddly or ornately

tricked out in a gaudy uniform

trick

3 of 3 adjective

1

a

: of or relating to or involving tricks or trickery

trick photography

b

: skilled in or used for tricks

a trick horse

2

a

: somewhat defective and unreliable

a trick lock

b

: inclined to give way unexpectedly

a trick knee