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
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 cheating
Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
But even for in-person classes, adaptations to prevent LLM cheating are often concessions that reduce pedagogical quality.
—ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
Time and again, the panel of experts invited to provide testimony said voter fraud is exceedingly rare and that there is no evidence of widespread cheating.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Though outright cheating does not go unpunished, contestants are often rewarded for finding loopholes in the rules and exploiting them.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Apr. 2026
There seems to be a widespread perception that musicians who use artificial intelligence are engaged in a form of cheating.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
There is no rampant cheating or election fraud in California.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Research shows that artificial intelligence tools can support learning, but also has raised concerns, including students’ overreliance, cheating, and the potential degradation of critical thinking and engagement.
—Jeanne Beatrix Law, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025
Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
Portraits of him as a cheating drunk, who was unfaithful to his first wife, Julia Nye, also surfaced.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 6 May 2026
Fred, their oldest surviving child, was suspended from Princeton for cheating, then caught embezzling from his Seattle employer to feed, Church suspected, a gambling habit.
—Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Court documents state the Matthews were there to get the children after a fight between Ashley and Pouncey over cheating.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Rumors of cheating swirled around the royal couple since shortly after their wedding in 1947.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 2 May 2026
So that felt like a way to keep tension and stakes without cheating too many twists.
—Max Gao, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
The two would embark on an on-again-off-again journey that was filled with cheating scandals, social media spats and, eventually, Cardi filing for divorce in September 2020.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
When the cheating scandal happened, there was a groundswell of support from fans, a protectiveness over Long as a woman and as a cultural touchstone.
—Zeba Blay, SELF, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
But, Keoghan said, the masses primarily only saw the first video, which fueled the widespread cheating rumors about him.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
But even for in-person classes, adaptations to prevent LLM cheating are often concessions that reduce pedagogical quality.
—ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
Time and again, the panel of experts invited to provide testimony said voter fraud is exceedingly rare and that there is no evidence of widespread cheating.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Though outright cheating does not go unpunished, contestants are often rewarded for finding loopholes in the rules and exploiting them.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Apr. 2026
There seems to be a widespread perception that musicians who use artificial intelligence are engaged in a form of cheating.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
There is no rampant cheating or election fraud in California.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Research shows that artificial intelligence tools can support learning, but also has raised concerns, including students’ overreliance, cheating, and the potential degradation of critical thinking and engagement.
—Jeanne Beatrix Law, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 24 Mar. 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
Though that 2017 championship is marred by one of the most egregious cheating scandals in baseball history.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
Portraits of him as a cheating drunk, who was unfaithful to his first wife, Julia Nye, also surfaced.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 6 May 2026
Fred, their oldest surviving child, was suspended from Princeton for cheating, then caught embezzling from his Seattle employer to feed, Church suspected, a gambling habit.
—Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Court documents state the Matthews were there to get the children after a fight between Ashley and Pouncey over cheating.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Rumors of cheating swirled around the royal couple since shortly after their wedding in 1947.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 2 May 2026
So that felt like a way to keep tension and stakes without cheating too many twists.
—Max Gao, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
The two would embark on an on-again-off-again journey that was filled with cheating scandals, social media spats and, eventually, Cardi filing for divorce in September 2020.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
When the cheating scandal happened, there was a groundswell of support from fans, a protectiveness over Long as a woman and as a cultural touchstone.
—Zeba Blay, SELF, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheating
Noun
-
Fascist propaganda works by distraction and deception.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Flores must continue to utilize deception to apply pressure on the opposing quarterback.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Bible teaches that lying, stealing, adultery and coveting your neighbor’s property are sins.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
In Virginia the governor ran one of the most dishonest, disingenuous campaigns in modern history on redistricting.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
-
Californians created the Department of Insurance to protect consumers against dishonest terms and unfair pricing.—
Ben Allen,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
For example, Maryland’s Consumer Protection Act prohibits unfair or deceptive trade practices, including failing to honor refund promises or misrepresenting return procedures.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
-
The trial marks the second phase of New Mexico’s lawsuit after a jury in March found Meta violated the state’s consumer protection law by misrepresenting the safety of Facebook and Instagram for young users and ordered the company to pay $375 million in damages.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Across this luminous surface, Baselitz drew thin, ink-like figures, either himself or his wife Elke, lying horizontally, as if seen from above.—
George Nelson,
ARTnews.com,
8 May 2026
-
Durango police fired Ball three days later for lying about drinking that night and for having his weapon on him while drunk, according the internal affairs records.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Bill Murray, for one, is accustomed to complex if not disappointing sporting dynamics.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
This is a departure for Cornyn, disappointing some defenders of the effective 60-vote threshold for the passage of most legislation in the Senate.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The ball trickled behind second, and Hoerner kept going, hustling his way to second.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Over the past few years, Google has been hustling to reinvent its business for the AI age, trying to keep consumers in the habit of going to its search page as chatbots from startups such as OpenAI and Anthropic become more popular.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Cerner is not aware of identity theft or fraud related to Atrium Health patient data.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
8 May 2026
-
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office on Thursday charged Brian Ramos, 25, of Edina, the owner of a roofing subcontractor known as Liminis Remodeling and Exteriors with two felony counts of worker’s compensation insurance premium fraud.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cheating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheating. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
