1
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
a conscienceless adventuress who never earned anything except through cheating
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in adultery
a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse
she swore that if there was ever any cheating, she'd leave in a heartbeat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dishonest
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in misrepresenting
to use dishonest methods to achieve a goal
students who cheat on tests end up never knowing anything
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in lying
to be sexually unfaithful
he suspects that his girlfriend is cheating on him
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in disappointing
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
4
as in hustling
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
a despicable confidence man who heartlessly cheated elderly people out of their savings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cheating
Time Staff, Time, 25 Feb. 2026
Not every young person feels this type of cheating is wrong.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Through punches and pummeling, cheating and cursing, their bond remained (mostly) intact.
—Jillian Sederholm, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
The pandemic had pushed many educators into burnout, but where others saw artificial intelligence as a threat—a technology that facilitated student cheating—Roberts saw a tool to help her survive.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2026
Canada’s Olympic curlers being accused of cheating could signal a significant turning point for a sport that appears to be evolving away from its hobbyist origins.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
Students laugh at these paltry attempts to prevent cheating.
—Liz Shulman, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
An honor council, comprised of administrators, teachers, and members of the student government, would sit in judgment on cases of alleged cheating.
—Nell Freudenberger, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Emotional cheating involves starting a relationship with someone.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
An Arsenal throw-in on their right-hand side, in the 14th minute, prompts chants of ‘Same old Arsenal, always cheating’ as the clock ticks away.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Prosecutors allege that the elaborate cheating scheme involving high-stakes poker games operated by mafia figures netted more than $7 million.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
The incident came a couple of weeks after the sport was in the headlines during the Olympics as the Canadian team was accused of cheating.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Ilia Malinin was at the center of a cheating scandal where fans accused another figure skater, Gracie Gold, of cheating on her boyfriend, Nam Nguyen.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 27 Feb. 2026
The state has stepped in for reasons including fiscal mismanagement, cheating scandals and consistently failing academic performance at a campus.
—Jessica Ma, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
But as more students embrace the power of AI, educators have become increasingly worried about cheating, leading to an AI Cold War.
—Devika Rao, TheWeek, 26 Feb. 2026
In the 1980s and 1990s, if a high school student was down on their luck, short on time, and looking for an easy way out, cheating took real effort.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Noun
That cheating is rampant in our elections.
—Time Staff, Time, 25 Feb. 2026
Not every young person feels this type of cheating is wrong.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Through punches and pummeling, cheating and cursing, their bond remained (mostly) intact.
—Jillian Sederholm, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
The pandemic had pushed many educators into burnout, but where others saw artificial intelligence as a threat—a technology that facilitated student cheating—Roberts saw a tool to help her survive.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2026
Canada’s Olympic curlers being accused of cheating could signal a significant turning point for a sport that appears to be evolving away from its hobbyist origins.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
Students laugh at these paltry attempts to prevent cheating.
—Liz Shulman, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
An honor council, comprised of administrators, teachers, and members of the student government, would sit in judgment on cases of alleged cheating.
—Nell Freudenberger, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Emotional cheating involves starting a relationship with someone.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
The federation may sanction a player who makes unfounded accusations based on emotion or insufficient data, according to its anti-cheating laws.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025
Verb
Billionaire Ronald Burkle is suing political power-broker Darius Anderson, accusing his former protégé and friend of cheating him out of millions of dollars.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
An Arsenal throw-in on their right-hand side, in the 14th minute, prompts chants of ‘Same old Arsenal, always cheating’ as the clock ticks away.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Prosecutors allege that the elaborate cheating scheme involving high-stakes poker games operated by mafia figures netted more than $7 million.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
The incident came a couple of weeks after the sport was in the headlines during the Olympics as the Canadian team was accused of cheating.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Ilia Malinin was at the center of a cheating scandal where fans accused another figure skater, Gracie Gold, of cheating on her boyfriend, Nam Nguyen.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 27 Feb. 2026
The state has stepped in for reasons including fiscal mismanagement, cheating scandals and consistently failing academic performance at a campus.
—Jessica Ma, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
But as more students embrace the power of AI, educators have become increasingly worried about cheating, leading to an AI Cold War.
—Devika Rao, TheWeek, 26 Feb. 2026
In the 1980s and 1990s, if a high school student was down on their luck, short on time, and looking for an easy way out, cheating took real effort.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheating
Noun
-
Later that year, federal prosecutors in New York charged the company’s former CEO Joanna Smith-Griffin, with securities fraud and related offenses tied to investor deception.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
See what happens when jealousy, suspicion and deception take over.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The facile novelty of adultery is its own mask, a sexy way of dressing up a deep, frightened longing for security.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The Texas attorney general beat a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges and reached a deal to end a long-running securities fraud case but now faces a contentious divorce over allegations of adultery.—
Meg Kinnard,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This is dishonest and partisan.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
-
More and more people are avoiding dating or befriending those with opposing political views, and growing numbers describe those on the other side as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent.—
Justin Callais,
Twin Cities,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kapoor was also charged with falsifying bank statements to inflate his account balances, failing to disclose a significant mortgage on his Cocoplum residence and misrepresenting that his tax returns had been filed with the IRS, all to obtain more than $9 million in financing.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Trump did not believe the Iranians were serious about giving up its decades-long ambition to develop a nuclear weapon and seemed to be misrepresenting the extent of its enrichment capabilities.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The final Oscar voting period has closed, and anyone telling you the race is over is lying.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Ayala had previously faced claims of lying and excessive force but was not placed on a Milwaukee County District Attorney's list of officers with a history of dishonesty, bias or integrity concerns until recently.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
With some Western Conference contenders disappointing at the deadline, the timing couldn’t be better.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The Sharks started strong, but a bad line change and turnover in their own zone in the third period led to two goals against and a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Thursday, disappointing a sellout crowd of 17,435 eager to see their team start the stretch run on a positive note.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Those were full-time pharmacists, realtors and teachers hustling across Olympic ice for Team USA.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
27 Feb. 2026
-
How does Mick Cronin survive this, sending his own player off the court after hustling hard on defense to get a piece of the ball but unfortunately too much contact and drew a foul.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Peters has not expressed remorse for her actions, instead defending them as necessary to investigate possible fraud.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Last month, in a separate case, Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal handed Lai a rare legal victory by overturning his conviction for fraud and quashing a 69-month sentence.—
Reuters 8 hr ago,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cheating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheating. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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