cheat 1 of 2

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as in to disappoint
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of the daredevil survived his plunge over the falls with barely a scratch, having cheated death once again

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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cheat

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb cheat contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cheat are cozen, defraud, and swindle. While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

cheated me out of a dollar

When can cozen be used instead of cheat?

The words cozen and cheat are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose.

always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

When is defraud a more appropriate choice than cheat?

The meanings of defraud and cheat largely overlap; however, 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

Where would swindle be a reasonable alternative to cheat?

In some situations, the words swindle and cheat are roughly equivalent. However, swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

swindled of their savings by con artists

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cheat
Verb
With the help of her best friend Lizzy (McKenzie), the two friends try to cheat Amy’s death and find a way to reverse the curse. Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2025 The five-chapter Final Destination movie series gets a reboot with Final Destination: Bloodlines, which follows the horror film series’ premise about people who cheat death, only for death to come looking for them with grisly comeuppances. Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
To his supporters, the bluff and feints were all tactics of a master negotiator taking on the world’s trade cheats. Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2025 In addition, in the Fall of 2024 the IRS-CI increased its efforts against wealthy tax cheats with actions against 1,600 taxpayers earning more than a million dollars a year which by July of 2024 had already brought in $1 billion in collections. Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cheat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheat
Verb
  • Despite the fallout, Owens remains firm in her belief that Ye’s story has been misrepresented and his mental health unfairly weaponized.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 5 May 2025
  • My Brilliant Friend’s original cover — featuring the backs of a bride, a groom, and three little girls trailing behind them — both misrepresents that the book is mostly about children and boasts a soft, princessish aesthetic.
    Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 2 May 2025
Verb
  • Still, Manalapan remains in a category all its own, and much of its appeal lies in its rarity.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 4 May 2025
  • The better share of the film’s revenues lie in PVOD, not theatrical.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 3 May 2025
Verb
  • This is a great NBA matchup that will not disappoint; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
  • However, any modern-day alchemist hoping to cash in might be disappointed.
    Victoria Corless, Space.com, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • Custom Container Living View 8 Images Custom Container Living has transformed a shipping container into an ultra-compact tiny house that squeezes a home for two into just 160 sq ft (14.8 sq m).
    Adam Williams May 08, New Atlas, 8 May 2025
  • Auto dealers, squeezed by President Donald Trump’s tariffs on the industry, are already seeing a tighter supply of vehicles to offer buyers at a time when sticker prices for many models are set to climb. Pine Belt Subaru in Lakewood, New Jersey, normally receives 100 to 120 cars a month.
    Brian Cheung, NBC news, 7 May 2025
Noun
  • The layoffs of roughly 7,000 Internal Revenue Service probationary workers beginning this week probably mean the end of the agency’s plan to go after high-wealth tax dodgers and could spell disaster for revenue collection, experts say.
    Fatima Hussein, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025
  • The baseball world will look back at this era of dodger baseball 30 years from now and have nothing but fond memories and positive things to say about it.
    Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Engineered to evade interception by U.S. defenses such as THAAD, the missile presents a direct challenge to Western military dominance and poses a potential threat to regional allies like Israel.
    Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
  • Vita's Ukrainian mother (my grandmother) survived as an orphan for two years under German occupation and barely evaded being carted off to Germany to work as a forced laborer.
    Sasha Vasilyuk, Time, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • Because mite-resistant flies did not sleep, their oxygen consumption and activity also increased during the night to levels no different from those of control group flies during the day.
    Elizabeth Rayne, ArsTechnica, 2 May 2025
  • Not sleeping well or for long enough directly interferes with memory consolidation, Dr. Blum says.
    Alisa Hrustic, SELF, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • The two hustled off to the airport Friday morning to meet with donors in Southern California.
    Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 11 May 2025
  • Ellie hustles Dina into the nearest building, but her efforts to secure the formerly posh music venue is interrupted by a shaky Dina holding a gun on her.
    Sara Netzley, EW.com, 5 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cheat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheat. Accessed 19 May. 2025.

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