cheat

a dishonest person who uses clever means to cheat others out of something of value a cheat at cards Synonyms bilk, bilker, trickster, cheater, chiseler (or chiseller), confidence man, cozener, defrauder, dodger, fakir, finagler, fraudster [chiefly British], hoaxer, scammer, scamster, shark, sharper, sharpie (or sharpy), skinner, swindler, trickerRelated Words double-crosser, double-dealer; bluffer, charlatan, fake, faker, humbug, impostor (or imposter), mountebank, phony (also phoney), pretender, quack, quacksalver, ringer, sham; adventurer, fox, gamesman, knave, prankster, rascal, rogue; fast-talker, slick, slicker, slickster, slyboots, smoothy (or smoothie), wheeler-dealer; plotter, schemer, sneak, sneaker; blackleg, cardsharp (or cardsharper)

1 to use dishonest methods to achieve a goal students who cheat on tests end up never knowing anything Synonyms chicane, finagle, fudge Related Words crib; color, distort, falsify, misinterpret, misrepresent, misstate, pervert, twist, warp; doctor, fake, tamper (with); elaborate, embellish, embroider, exaggerate, magnify, pad, stretch; dodge, evade, hedge

2 to be sexually unfaithful he suspects that his girlfriend is cheating on him Synonyms philander, screw around, step out Related Words cat (around), fool around, fornicate, play (around), tomcat (around), womanize; copulate, couple, lie, make out, mate, sleep; lust

3 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 disappoint, dissatisfy, fail, let downRelated Words bum (out), chagrin, discontent, disgruntle, displease, distress, upset; disenchant, disillusion; deceive, delude, mockNear Antonyms fulfill (or fulfil); gladdenAntonyms content, gratify, satisfy

4 to rob by the use of trickery or threats a despicable confidence man who heartlessly cheated elderly people out of their savings Synonyms beat, bilk, bleed, fleece, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, flimflam, gaff, gyp, hose [slang], hustle, mulct, nobble [British slang], pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skin, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, sucker, swindle, thimblerig, victimizeRelated Words extort, wrench, wrest, wring; clip, gouge, nick, overcharge, soak; exploit, milk; deceive, dupe, fool, gull, trick; rope (in); betray, bitch, double-cross; bamboozle, fast-talk