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
The dinner went off without a hitch…that is until Lindsay Hubbard leveled an accusation of cheating against ex-fiancée Carl Radke. Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025 Khloé filed for divorce in 2013 amid multiple cheating allegations but called it off in 2015. Rachel McRady, People.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Noun
The downside, of course, is the world now knows their cheat code. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025 Technically, this is a cheat: 2018’s Liberation tried this too, but to middling effect. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cheat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheat
Verb
  • What To Know The complaint centers on claims that Tesla and CEO Musk repeatedly misrepresented these systems as fully autonomous or nearly so, even though the technology remains incomplete.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The scholars were joined last year by some of Bonhoeffer’s living relatives, who released a statement accusing Metaxas, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, of misrepresenting Bonhoeffer as a fundamentalist evangelical.
    John Blake, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Pahalgam lies on a major pilgrimage route, known as the Amarnath Yatra, which takes place every year and has been exposed to previous attacks.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025
  • In a spirited opening statement, defense attorney Arthur Aidala accused the women of lying and manipulating his client.
    Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • That’s why many in the real estate space are disappointed in the decision by a Washington regulator to end support for some programs that helped many Americans over that hurdle and into a position to buy homes.
    Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 2 May 2025
  • Given the influx of questions received, when ideating the line Holloway began researching the category and was disappointed to find very little, and what was available wasn’t design- or education-driven.
    Emily Burns, Footwear News, 2 May 2025
Verb
  • For now, the researchers have left the ship in situ, partially covering it with original soil and squeezing wet sponges onto it to preserve moisture.
    Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
  • And kids of all ages are putting on their finest clothes, squeezing on their caps, and getting ready to walk across that stage.
    Melissa Willets, Parents, 29 Apr. 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
  • The key benefits of integration include: • Enhanced Threat Detection: By unifying security tools, organizations can achieve a holistic view of their threat landscape, enabling the identification of sophisticated attacks that might evade stand-alone systems.
    Bob Kruse, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended a judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities.
    CBS News, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • There are just three more sleeps until Round 1 of the 90th Annual Player Selection Meeting in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
    Jim Reineking, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Reports from 2023 described families at the camp sleeping on cardboard and struggling with scarce food supplies.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Marchand hustled down the ice to negate a potential icing call.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Late in the first half, with Orlando already on a 10-0 run, White hustled back to stop a four-on-one fast break.
    Jay King, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cheat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheat. Accessed 7 May. 2025.

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