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
As research on authoritarian regimes shows, the goal of attacking independent institutions this way is to sap their capacity to resist the incumbent government’s attempts to cheat in future elections. Erica Frantz, The Conversation, 16 May 2025 Because of how long he’s cheated, the chances of him suddenly stopping are extremely minimal. Roya Backlund, StyleCaster, 16 May 2025
Noun
Everything else, whether AI or organizers or schedulers, is really just a cheat code—nice to have but dispensable. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025 There’s simply no alternative outcome that works, that doesn’t feel like a cheat. Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 3 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for cheat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheat
Verb
  • Despite following legal guidelines, the video was accused of misrepresenting events and using replicas instead of authentic artifacts.
    Real-Time news team, Miami Herald, 16 May 2025
  • The news dropped just as The New York Times reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating whether Coinbase had misrepresented its user numbers in past filings.
    Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 15 May 2025
Verb
  • The southern end of the Continental Divide Trail – the longest of the country's National Scenic Trails, running 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada – now lies within the area controlled by the Army.
    Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 18 May 2025
  • Gomez, 38, was found lifeless, lying in bed under the covers.
    Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 17 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
  • Umberto Rispoli squeezed between horses around the top of the stretch and then rode Journalism to a tremendous rally.
    Baltimore Sun staff, Baltimore Sun, 24 May 2025
  • Martinez’s son squeezed the trigger five times, shooting Rivera to death and wounding two others, the detective wrote in the affidavit.
    Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 24 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
  • Penguin Press, June 17 Image El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott After skipping town to evade a nagging creditor in 2008, Harper returns to her Detroit suburb months later to find her two older sisters, once in the throes of debt, sporting fresh highlights and driving a Lexus.
    Laura Thompson, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • The former prisoners who have continued to evade police for nearly a week include Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Lenton Vanburen and Antoine Massey, according to USA Today, while Corey Boyd, Gary Price, Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, and Dkenan Dennis have been re-arrested.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 22 May 2025
Verb
  • The quiet child keeps mostly to himself, eating lunch in the locker room and occasionally sleeping there too.
    Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
  • His parents went to sleep that night believing their son would soon be in Florida, and play a practice round that next day.
    Mac Engel May 16, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 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 27 May. 2025.

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